The Evening Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED TUESDAY, JULY 8. 1890,

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 159, 8 July 1890, Page 4

The Evening Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED

TUESDAY, JULY 8. 1890,

For tha causa that lacks assistance, _or the -wrong that needs resistance, Por tho future in the distance, i_J-d tho good that we can do.

The half-yearly accounts of the City Council and the Harbour Board have just been .published, and we are glad to observe that both of our chief local governing bodies are in a.sound financial condition. The city accounts are to the 31st March only, but the half, year of the Auckland Harbour Board closed on the 30th June. The adoption of a policy of careful administration has resulted in a reduction of the City Council overdraft, upon General Account, from on the , 30th September last to ;£i 7,920. We hope that the Council will steadfastly abstain from all works that are not imperatively necessary until this burden has been got rid of and the Corporation is living from year to year legitimately within its ordinary income. We notice that the bank interest charged against the General Account for the past year has been ,£1,368, and we should very much like to know how much has been paid in interest from 'first to last in consequence of the per-nicious-policy adopted some years ago, of forestalling revenue by loans upon overdraft. It would, we believe, be found that this initial error has been chiefly responsible for the difficulty experienced by successive Councils in making the ordinary income cover from year to year the expenses legitimately chargeable against this account. Certain it is that unless the Council means to embark once more upon a system of borrowing, involving additional rating powers, which would never be tolerated by the citizens, the work of the city for the next few yeairs must be chiefly confined to keeping the streets in a good state "of repair and in making such minor improvements as may be considered desirable and feasible out of the current revenue. The total income for the year ending the 31st of March was The Council commenced the year with an overdraft of ,£22,636, and closed it, as we have said, with an overdraft of There are, in addition to this overdraft, debtor balances upon the Improvement Trust, Waterworks Extension, and Waikomiti Cemetery accounts. But these accounts should be 'in a position to provide for their own indebtedness. From the details of the expenditure it is manifest that the ordinary revenues are not more than sufficient to maintain the city services efficiently and provide for the repair of streets, and if, either by the imposition of new responsibilities or the diminution of revenue from existing sources, the position of the Council were changed unfavourably, additional taxation would be inevitable. During the past year the city contribution to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was and! ' it behoves the representatives of city' constituencies to strenuously resist the persistent efforts of the Colonial Government to increase local liability in this matter. The recent attempt to thrust the care of imbecile persons-upon the Charitable Aid Board was part of a policy that has been pursued for several years past by the General Government in its efforts to throw upon local taxation services that have been heretofore maintained put of the consolidated revenue of the colony. If this were merely- a shifting of the incidence of taxation there would be less objection to it, but we know from experience that it means an increase in the general volume of taxation, no remission being made by the General Government in consideration of its own dii«nished responsibilities.'. The city, abattoirs are still a source of loss. The total revenue from fees and rents for the year was ,_'349» and the expenditure ,£3lB, without any provision for interest upon the cost of buildings and capital value of the estate occupied for this purpose. The Waikomiti Cemetery has also so far proved an unprofitable investment; the overdraft was increased during the year by £207, while the total expenditure on- permanent improvements in that time was only the

balance has gone in wages and interest, The Water Supply continues to yield good results, a sum of £5,531 having been contributed from this source towards the payment of interest on the capital cost of the works. The loan money at the credit of the Ward Allocation Accounts, except in the case of the North Ward, has been practically exhausted. The Library and other special accounts appear to be in a fairly satisfactory condition. The half-yearly accounts of the Auckland Harbour Boatd, submitted at the meeting held this afternoon, show that the income for the six months ending 30th June, was £1,491 more than for the corresponding period of last year. The total revenue for the halfyear was ,£16,397, to which was added a balance from previous half amounting to £14,811. The expenditure was £17,117, of which £"10,750 went in interest. This Board has still a balance to credit of £"14,092, and its revenues appear to be ample to provide for all current liabilities, to maintain existing works, and pursue a steadiiyfwogressive though not extravagant policy. The revenue from rents has increased £576 as compared with the previous half-year, and the goods wharfage is £649. The revenue from the Auckland and Calliope Docks and the fees from storage were also larger. Taking the accounts throughout, there is evidence of healthy growth,' and although rapidly diminishing resources in the shape of borrowed money should warn the Board to carefully revise every heading of expenditure, there is no cause whatever for uneasiness with regard to the future.