The Press Tuesday, August 6, 1929. City Rates.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19690, 6 August 1929, Page 8

The Press Tuesday, August 6, 1929. City Rates.

Although the general rate was reduced by the City Council last night after passing tne estimates from 3ld to 2583-625 d on the unimproved valuation of rateable property contained within the City boundaries, yet the actual amount of money to be taken from the ratepayers increased from £.125,079 to £147,530. Since the previous rate was levied there has been effected a revaluation of the City, and the unimproved value on which the general rate is based advanced from £8,894,514 to £12,073,358. What effect the new valuations coupled with the new rate will have upon different properties classified according to value will not be definitely ascertained until the rate notices are actually issued, but there will probably be many surprises in store for ratepayers. The detailed estimates as presented to th City Council by the Finance Committee show how surely the cost of the administration of the City and the expenditure generally are advancing, and there would seem to be no immediate prospect of any relief from the growing burdens of local taxation. Staff salaries continue their onward inarch, and in the last five years have increased from £13,975 to £23,073, or at the rate of £2OOO a year. Details of the changes in staff salaries and increases in personnel are not now given for publication, but it would be decidedly interesting to know why it is that a City which is relieved from the duty of controlling such important- municipal services as sewerage and tramways should be so costly to administer. Ratepayers will uote with such satisfaction as they can command an item of £2OOO for revising the new valuation rolls, which they will be asked to pay for the privilege of having their valuations raised. Grants authorised totalled £4603 as against £2823 expended last year, but £7OO of the increase went to the Earthquake Relief Fund and to two City relief depots. Relief of unemployment accounts for a vote of £12,500, and there is also a peculiar vote of £SOOc for Cathedral Square improvements or refund to Electrical Department. Presumably this refers to the £BOOO taken from the Electricity Department's reserves two years ago to help to make up an estimated deficit of £13,000 in order that the general rate should not be increased that year, and there ia some reason to believe that there is no intention of refunding tho amount to the Department. Included in the amounts already available for the proposed expenditure for the year is a sum of £2500 in license fees f; om motor-drivers, the sum received last year from this source being £I4OO. It would be interesting to know what the Traffic Department is casting the Council and the motor-drivers, and how far the Council is justified in imposing this annual levy. The water supply estimates include various large items of expenditure for headworks extensions rendered necessary to serve the new reticulations in special loan areas, and it seems clear that the Council is determined to place upon the original water supply district, which paid for its service without outside aid, as much as possible of the cost of the new works in order to give the new areas a cheaper supply. In short, ratepayers will not find the estimates especially exhilarating, even if they feel themselves able to hope that the position may be no worse at the end of the year than as estimated now.