CITY RATES

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21118, 20 March 1934, Page 8

CITY RATES

j ♦ ! EXTENSION OF PERIOD i SOUGHT PRIME MINISTER TO LOOK INTO QUESTION ! With only two days to elapse be- . fore the 10 per cent, penalty will 'be imposed on the Christchurch ] City Council's 1933-34 rates unpaid, an endeavour was made yesterday by the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, i M.P.). before he left for Wellington, to obtain from the Prime I Minister, Mr Forbes, a definite re- ! ply to the request made by the I deputation, representing the City i Council, which waited on him in Wellington on Thursday regarding . the extension of the period to March i 31. The deputation asked that this ; concession should be granted to * Christchurch ratepayers and that legislation to validate the action of the City Council in extending the date be introduced and passed next session. The necessity for this procedure is that the legislation under which the time was extended last year was not re-enacted, and no ; legislative authority exists now for '; extending the period. j In Wellington Mr Forbes, while ; expressing sympathy with the re- ! quest of the deputation, said that : he could not give a definite reply i until he had taken up the matter ! with the Minister for Internal Af--1 fairs, the Hon. J. A. Young, who was absent from Wellington in i Central Otago. ' The Mavor (through the Town ! Clerk, Mr J. S. Neville) told a rep- , resentative of "The Press" early yesterday evening that lie had beer. in communication with Mr Forbes by telephone, and in reply to his enquiry on the subject of extending the time for the payment of rates before tne penalty was imposed Mr Forbes had said that on his return ; to Wellington he would look into 1 the question and would advise the I Town Clerk immediately of his de- , cision.

The Mayor's advice to ratepayers who have not yet paid their rates is that they should not wait, but pay them before 4 p.m. to-morrow, in case the request is not granted.

' Yesterday's Collection j The rates collected yesterday j amounted to £14,500, the highest i sum collected in one day since the 1 rates became due. The total col- ! lected up to 4 p.m. yesterday was I £178,113, or 53.74 per cent, of the ! total levied. With two days to i elapse before the 10 per cent, penI altv is imposed the amount outi standing is £153.319. I PRIME MINISTER'S INTENTION : INFORMING CITY COUNCIL I The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. ; G. W. Forbes) stated to a representative of "The Press" last evening . that he would let the City Council i know by Wednesday the position regarding validating legislation for j the extension of the period in which rates may be paid without penaltv. Mr Forbes reccntlv told j the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, j M.P.) in Wellington that he would I consult with the Minister for Inter- : nal Affairs (the Hon. J. A. Young), j but he has not so far been able to I do so. , Mr Young is at present visiting the deer-stalking areas in the Haast ; Pass and South We.stland region and | is not expected to return until after ; March 21 (Wednesday), which, ac- , cording to the present legislation, is : the last day for the payment of I rates without penalty. On his return to Wellington, said ' Mr Forbes, he would get in touch i with the Minister for Internal AfI fairs, and. failing that, with his de--1 partment. to see what the position was relating to the City Council's enquiry and to other local bodies.