BOROUGH FINANCES

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXX, Issue 13646, 20 May 1942, Page 2

BOROUGH FINANCES

POSITION REVIEWED Report Of Town Clerk Excellent Response To Rate Demands What is considered to be a highly satisfactory state of affairs is disclosed in the annual review of the Borousrh Council finances prepared by the Town Clerk (Mr R. B. Shearman) and presented to the council at its last meeting. The report stated that the general account, as would be noted in the abstract of accounts, was in a sound position. The receipts, including the opening balance of £402 and transfers from other accounts.) totalled £13,602 and the payments £l2 943. leaving a credit balance at March 31 of £659. The collection of general rates and arrears amounted to £4659 and exceeded the estimate by £ 7. Government subsidy on rates amounted to £450. Licenses and fees produced £760, exceeding the estimate by £ 90. Transfers from other accounts totalled £49 76. and included electricity £ 4000, heavy traffic fees £698, a reduction of £ 13 7 on last year. The rents collected from endowments totalled £Bl4, and were £l4 above the estimate. The payments on maintenance were £ 67. The Director of Town Planning some time ago favoured the use of the town rubbish for the purpose of filling for the borough endowment known as the rubbish tip. If this could be done by controlled tipping or Bradford system, instead ,of carting the material to Greetron, it appeared that it would be a great saving in petrol and at the same time building up what could be made a valuable endowment.

The rest rooms receipts totalled £ 12S, and were £29 above the estimate. Payments amounted to £l9l. The receipts from the ladies' rest room had shown considerable improvement and this year were only £ 2 below the payments. Much credit was due to the caretaker for this. Parks and Gardens Parks and gardens had again come in for a good deal of favourable comment from residents and visitors, and must be regarded as a great asset to the borough. The payments under the head "Borough Gardens," which included several street ends and verges, were £789. The estimate for gardens and tree planting was £ 620. Centennial Park maintenance and improvements cost £94, which was £36 under the estimates, and domains maintenance £ 273, the estimate being £ 250. The library and reading rooms cost £333. This amount included some expenses in connection with the change over from subscription to free library, which took place on October 1, 1941. The estimates provided £ 400 for the year.

Sanitation and refuse collection cost £836, including refuse collection £ 732, purchase of bins £ 49. Sanitary.pan system, £55. The fees collected were £676, leaving a balance to be found from other sources of £l6O. The conserving of bins was still very necessary, owing to the acute shortage of sheet iron and the consequent difficulty in procuring new bins.

Streets construction £2890 and maintenance £ 3521, totalling £ 6411, exceeded the estimate by £473. Receipts amounted to £1065 and included heavy traffic fees £698 and motor drivers' fees £320. The estimates were £960 and £320 respectively. ■ The water account receipts for the year were £3885, compared with last year's total of £3891. Payments, including an opening debit balance of £405, amounted to £4375, leaving a debit balance of £ 490. The debit balance was brought about through the decision to meet the over-expenditure on the Otumoetai loan of £345 out of revenue together with an advance of £176 for an extension to the State houses. The account should in future be in a very sound position. In the Mount Maunganui extension loan the opening balance was £305. Of this amount £2OB was expended during the year, leaving a balance of £97.

The Town Hall account was in a good position, although the previously rent-producing front offices were now occupied rent free by organisations working for war purposes. The opening balance was £l2O, the receipts for rent of hall £675, and other receipts £lB. Payments totalled £G7S, leaving a credit balance of £ 13S.

The drainage account opened with a credit balance of £39. Receipts amounted to £ 92. and payments £ 22G, leaving a debi: balance of £ 95.

The maintenance costs this year were £l3 2 in excess of last year's figures, and this was mainly due to extra work in the septic tank, which cost £ll2.

The abattoir account showed an opening balance of £ 130. The abattoir fees totalled £IS2S compared with £IG62 the previous year, and rents £ll. The payments totalled £I9IG, leaving a credit balance of £ 5 3. The baths account shows that admittance charges realised £52, compared with £7l the previous year. Expenditure totalled £132, leaving a deficit of £72 to be paid from the general account. Aerodrome Account The aerodrome account showed payments amounting to £303 and receipts £ S 4, leaving an amount transferred from the general account of £219. The aerodrome loan account opened with a credit balance of £I7SG, and the payments, in-

eluding £I3OO in part settlement of the claim by Native owners, totalled £l3lO, leaving a balance of £\'i which was considerably short of the figure required for settlement. The fire insurance fund opened with a balance of £3716, and tre accumulated fund now stood at £3855. The balance in the accident insurance fund at April 1, 1941, was £995, and the accumulated funds now stood at £1176. The payments in connection «"itn slit trenches totalled £ 210. Of this amount private owners had refunded £ 30 and there was a subsidy due from the Government on the public trenches of £ 3 for £l. Electricity The electricity working accour.: opened with a credit of £S4S4. iM receipts totalled £29,570. The receipts included sales of current as follows, the figures for the previous year being given in parenthesesLighting, £5325 (£6277); ** ing, £10,928 (£10,285); jwg £1561 (£1572); bulk, £W (£12,324) • street lighting, *-» (£400); sales of fittings and nierials, £l7 (£89); interest ond* bentures, £444 (£444); ale • petrol'and oil, £662 ( £73 • ™ ments totalled *?'«*>}»% credit balance of £}}> vt * ffleß total number of electricity consume. was 1609. sn d Interest accounts for « re -' tfj> drainage loans opened win. balance of £1228 and clo.ui a credit of £1221.

Public Debt

The P«blie debt as 1941, was £ 207,41 1. Tllt j\.,;;;;. repaid during the year *» &: leaving the amount ou:s March 31, 1942/ £200,886. , The rating accounts werer ~ shape and showed total :»"--,_,,;.;. £11.310, and collected * , leaving £l4O outstanding, -,. collection of 98.72 G percM" pared with 98.531 last year. Commenting on tne ' Fjy; > report, the chairman 01 Committee (Cr A. ■>■ in: to stated that an interestjf F., * note was the credit oi » streets account. It should ™pt*bered that street wort - , :> , ed and had it been conu would have been consider expenditure. 8 The Mayor (Mr L. «■ said he would like TO $& the ratepayers partlCUla »7 wonderful response to i , ■<■ for rates. There were so .. cords in New Zealan ~ not safe to say tne i- aboU t *- a record, but it was gj fo r. J good as could be W *? etb desired also to congratuiai Clerk and the staff a*J> g of the council. J.»« as as FT tion of the council to-aa. '„ * as it could be. Tne ie ria? " highlv satisfactory cons amount of wort do pe - .