REDUCED RATES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 103, 3 May 1934, Page 5

REDUCED RATES.

ONE TREE HILL' BOROUGH. TOTAL OF £1442 INVOLVED. A reduction in municipal and water rates was decided upon by the One Tree Hill Borough Council last evening, when the estimates for the year were adoptedPrior to considering the estimates the council discussed in committee a proposal to restore the 10 per cent cut to its employees. It was finally decided that the cut should not be restored at present, Messrs. W. G. Mulholland and J. J. Boyce being the only, members favouring the immediate restoration. In their introduction to the estimates the Mayor, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, and the town clerk, Mr. A. Leese, stated that it would be noted that receipts were based on an estimated collection of 86 per cent of the rates levied and 60 per cent of the outstanding rates. Collections for the j year just closed were 87 per cent and 69 per cent respectively, so that unless anything unforeseen occurred which might have a detrimental effect on the collection of revenue the estimated receipts were somewhat on the conservative side. Excluding the wages of relief workers, provision was made for expenditure under the general account of £12,120, against actual payments totalling £11,126 last year, an increase of £994. Practically the whole of that increase would be available for permanent improvements to the streets and footpaths, for which £2554 had been set aside, as against £1800 last year. It would not be difficuult to expend that money in view of the many streets requiring attention. The difficulty would be to decide on the order of urgency. Concerning the waterworks account, it was stated that after providing for payment of a new pump and the transfer of £600 to the general account, a nestimated surplus of £589 would be available for further improvements to the reticulation system. Certain streets were without satisfactory mains for firefighting purposes, and it was desirable to build up a fund for such extensions to obviate the necessity of raising additional loans. Rating Discount. It was considered that the practice of allowing 2 J per cent discount on rates had definitely proved of advantage to ratepayers, and it was recommended that the practice should be continued at the same rate. If that was adopted it was anticipated that no overdraft interest would be incurred. The estimatetd total receipts for the year, exclusive of relief works, amounted to £31,856, including £22,404 from rates, as compared with £34,234 last year. Provision had been made for payments totalling £32,050, including £9420 for public works, as against last year's total of £30,979. It was stated that if the proposals were adopted, fairly substantial reductions in the rates to be levied would accrue to the ratepayers. Allowing for increased valuations due to new buildings erected during the year, municipal rates would be reduced by £1047, and water rates by £395, a total of £1442. The benefit of the reductions would not be spread evenly, but would vary from 3d in the unsewered area up to 3}d in the western drainage area. The proposed rates for 1934-35, with those forlast year in parentheses, were as follow: * Penrose, 2/2} (2/2J); original drainage, 2/8J (2/9J); eastern drainage, 3/4 A (3/6); western drainage, 3/4} (3/8). The estimates and proposed rate reductions were approved without alteration.