EXCESS FEES TO BE REFUNDED

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21199, 25 June 1934, Page 12

EXCESS FEES TO BE REFUNDED

CITY COUNCIL TO PAY OUT THIS WEEK DISTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN £3OOO The final step in the settlement of a long-standing dispute between the New Zealand Refrigerating Company and certain master butchers of Christchurch, on the one hand, and the Christchurch City Council on the other, will be taken thi3 week when the excess abattoir fees collected by the council in the three years ended March 31, 1921), will be paid out. The matter was the subject of legislation last session, a section in the Local Legislation Washing Up Act setting out the procedure to be followed by the council. In the three years mentioned the fees levied were more than suffic:ient to pay the annual cost of the municipal abattoir, and since 1929 the parties concerned had been in almost continuous negotiation about the refund of the sum overpaid. The council paid £2677 to the refrigerating company, and it was proposed to refund the further profit of £3126 entirely to the butchers. When a bill to give effect to this came before Parliament in 1932 objection was raised that the company had a right to share in this profit also, and the bill was rejected by the House of Representatives. Last year's Act gave the council power to refund the amount of £3126 in the proportion of four-fifths to the butchers, and one-flfth to the company. The council was required to advertiS2 for claims for refunds which were to be received only until March 31. 1934. The claims were to be examined by the council, which, if it thought fit, might require evidence to be submitted by the claimants. Since the claims were received the City Treasurer (Mr J. W. Niven) and his staff have had to balance the figures for the three years, to work out the allocation for each butcher, and generally, to examine all the claims. The allocations came before the finance committee last week and were approved by it, and authority given to pay out this week. In all, 13g individual butchers are concerned in receiving rounds, but with the exception of 12, the amounts will be handed to the Master Butchers' Association to distribute to its members entitled to them.