RATES REDUCED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 193, 29 May 1934, Page 5

RATES REDUCED

TOTAL SUM OF £786.

NO LEVY FOR WATER LOAN.

BENEFIT OF 3d TO BOROUGH. LOWEST FIGURE SINCE 1922. ASHBURTON'S HEALTHY , FINANCES. As a result of the consideration of the estimates for the coming year the Ashburton Borough. Council last evening decided to make substantial reductions in the rates levied on ratepayers and a total reduction of £786 19s 3d was agreed upon. This, means a lower- ; ing of the rates in the Borough "by threepence, in Hampstead by the same amount and in Nether by by from fourpence to 4Jd. The general rate .is the lowest since 1922. These decisions Avere arrived at-when the Council held a special meeting at the conclusion of the ordinary meeting, and the new rates and savings ef- ( fected to the ratepayers were announced by the Town Clerk (Mr W- Patterson) this morning. The rates are as follow, with a comparison with last year's figures:— This year Last year

The Town Clerk pointed out to , a "Guardian" reporter this morning that last year a loan of £2200 was raised for the purpose of extending the high pressure water system in the Borough and the interest and sinking fund payments amount to £269 10s a year, which is the equivalent of a rate of a, little over one penny. A rate of a penny would return £257 lis sd. This rate was not being levied by the Council, which had decided to meet the payment out of ordinary revenue. This really amounted to a further concession of one penny in the rates, so that the whole position demonstrated how healthy were the finances of the Borough. The reductions in total are as. follow :

Since 1930-31 the general rate has been reduced three times.. The first reduction' was of one penny, the next of twopence, and the present drop of twopence. In different years the rate has been: 1921-22 Is 9d, 1922-23 and 1923-24 2s, 1925-26 2s 3d, 1930-31 2s 3d, 1931-32 2s 2d, 1932-33 and 1933-34 2s, 1934-35 Is lOd. . " " . This year the final payment' of the Borough Council's share of the cost of the new traffic bridge will be made. The bridge cost £24,411 8s 2d, of which £1757 3s 3d was the Council's share. It made a first payment of £577 Os 9d, leaving £llBO 2s 6d, whichthe Council decided to pay off in three years. The. last payment, of £433, will be made in November. This fact was taken into consideration when the Council was framing its estimates last evening, and largely influenced the (reductions. * T ———— /.. ./.''., ■ ESTIMATES FOR THE YEAR. SEVERAL IMPORTANT INCREASES The estimates for the year have been fixed as follows, the figures in parentheses being the expenditure last year: General Account. Receipts—Rent of Reserves £I7OO (£1724); Licenses, auctioneers' £l3O (£134), dogs £SO (£7l), sundry £6OO (£625); Government subsidy £2BO (£297),sale of earth £25 (£G4),fees,fines and building permits £25 (£77), Domain Account £3OO (£414), Library Account £IOO (£101), sanitary tees £4OO (£455), Cemetery . Board £2O (£2O), removal of rubbish and ,b.b.. fees £ls . (£l9), bridges and culverts £2O (£l6), general rates £0666 (£6128), asphalting £2O (£47), affixing seal £5 (£2), sundries £2OO (£202), reserves, firewood etc. £5 (£2O), refund abattoir £IOO (£168), H.P.W.S. share interest etc. £IOO (£B4), 10 per cent penalty on rates £2O (£24), conveniences £25 (£29), Main Highway subsidy £SOO (£414), credit balance £2184 (£2184); totals £12490 (£l3 y 319). , Expenditure-,Salaries £990 (£970), charges £250 (£254), printing and advertising £l3O (£244), streets maintenance £1450 (£1394), street watering £lO '£3), street asphalting £ISOO (£1285), street channelling £9OO (£418), street bridges and culverts £2O (£25), stables £2OO (£194), lighting £765 (£754), water supply and cleaning channels £525 (£519), scavenging £7OO (£702), horses and plant

£SOO (£171), fire prevention £2BO , (£271), Hospital and Charitable Aid ; Board £445 (£439), band concerts £l2O (£120), library £4OO (£268), domain £llOO (£1059), reserves £3OO (£243), valuation £SO (£SO), destruction of rats and birds £SO (£66), insurance £67 (£4O), town'clock £6s' (£6l), in- .' terest on loans and sinking fund £415 <£4l6), legal expenses £25 (£97), interest on overdraft £2O (£l6), traffic bridge £SOO (£474), mayor's allowance £135 (£135), women's rest £l5O (£152) Technical School £5 (£5), Progress League £5 (£5), Plunket Society £5 (£5), refund rates £2O (£6), dog collars £lO (£7), distribution of licenses £2O (£2l), unauthorised expenses,£loo (£SO), Municipal Association £8 (£8), councillors' expenses £2O (£l9), publio pound £5 (£5), drainage maintenance £IOO (£6l), band rotunda £5 (£3), health account £lO (£1), elections and polls £SO (£102), public conveniences . £ls (£1), purchase airport £5-(£1), street signs £lO (—), Governor's visit £2s' ( —), traffic, account £lO (£l) ', ■- totals £12,490 (£11,141). H.P.W.S. Account. Receipts—Water rates £9OO (£909), ex. .water supply £6OO (£593), connections £25 (£32), interest on cost of main £5 (£SO), plumbers' licenses £1 ~ (—), sales sundries £4 (£2); totals £1535 (£1586). / ■' - • Expenditure—Pumping water £'°U. (£793), repair buildings, plant, mains and service £175 (£213), connections £IOO (£199), meters, etc £25 (£61),. cleaning hydrants £25 (£4l), insurance j £lO (£5), inspection machinery £5 (£5), refund water rates £5 (£1), printing advertising and stationery .£2O -(£41), sundries £2O (—), share of interest account and administration * £IOO (£B4), interest and Sinking fund water extension loan £270 (£216): totals £1535 (£1659). ' ; ; : Abattoir! Account. Receipts Abattoir fees £ISOO (£1475), (rents £25 (£23), drying skins £5 (£4), charges "of meat brought into district £4O. (£64); £1570 (£1566) ._. Expenditure—Manager's salary £o2 (£52), fees £l2O (£120), slaughtering £6OO (£694)., interest and. : ■;■ sinking fund £263 (£254),. water, sup- , ply £4O (£9),' repairs, material, fuel oil, telephone, insurance, sundries and transfer general account £490 (£356); totals £1570 (£1485). ■ ; ■ , ; -

s d s d , Borough, general . 1 10 2 0^ Interest on water loans,' Borough. . . 0 z\ 0 4 0 10 1 0 Drainage rate, Borough, and part ■ Netherby - . ... ". 0 9 0 9j Sanitary fees . 20 0 20 0 Water— / '•. d. d. d. d. Old Borough . , . p &2h 5 & 2i Netherby ■• a. n d Hampstead . 2 &n 2 & n

General rate . . Water rates . . . Nether by ...... Hampstead • - • - Drainage rates . , £ s d ./. 515 2 10 . 159 2 o . 21 15 4 . *35 12 4 . *. 55 6 4 Total .... . £786 19 3