RATE INCREASE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 195, 31 May 1945, Page 6

RATE INCREASE

ACTION BY BOROUGH COUNCIL. WAGES MAINLY RESPONSIBLE. APPROVAL OF ESTIMATES. It is the intention of the Borough Council to strike a general rate of 1s 9]d for 1945-46, compared with 1s 3J.d last year, in addition, there will be an increase of id in the Catchment Board rate,, making the ail-round increase in the £. Estimates along these lines were adopted by the Council at a special meeting on Tuesday evening. The Catchment Board rate Avill be 13d in the £ and the Hospital Board rate Avill be sd. Special rates will be the same as last year. The estimates total £31,105, the main items of receipts being: —Rents, £2500; general rates, £11,388; Catchment Board rate, £324; Hospital Board rate, £2835; sale of buildings, £2250; petrol tax, £9OO. The main items of expenditure are: —Streets and footways, £5000; highways, £1000; kerbing. channelling, and asphalting, £2000; street lighting, £1020; removal of rubbish, £800; Hospital Board levy, £2835; library, £1050; Domain, £2400; reserves, buildings, etc., £1100; high pressure Avater supply pumping, -etc., £1785; Abattoir, £2346. Comment by the Mayor. Commenting to-day on the increases, the Mayor said the Council Avas unanimous in agreeing to them. 1 The increases were mainly caused by the general increase in Avages, which Avould cost the Council about £7OO. In addition, three extra men ! were employed on the permanent staff last year, and another three would have to be employed this year to cope j with extra work. Requests from all : portions of the Borough for more Avorlc to he done continued to increase, and the Council had no alternative but to increase the rates in order to get it done. Increases in the cost of materials Avere another factor in the increased rates. The installation cf culverts across footpaths at intersections, and the reneAval of pavement in portions of the original Borough area Avere mentioned by the Mayor as other factors respon-. sible for the increase. These Avorks had been deferred for some years and it Avas felt that they must be gone ahead Avith in the very near future.