CATCHMENT RATES

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27116, 12 August 1953, Page 11

CATCHMENT RATES

CHAIRMAN DEFENDS INCREASE

REPLY TO PAPARUA COUNCIL

“I am sorry to have to join issue with my friend, Mr W. F. McArthur, and members of the Paparua County Council concerning statements that were made on Monday night about the Catchment Board rate,” said Mr H. B. Anderson, chairman of the North Canterbury Catchment Board, last evening, when he replied to comments at a meeting of the Paparua County Council on Monday.

“Reasons for the increase in the administrative rate have already been given to the press,” Mr Anderson said. “Briefly, these provide for increases in engineering staff, made necessary by the very large amount of survey 'and design work in connexion with the Selwyn, Waimakariri, and Ashley rivers, all of which have suffered severely in the floods of 1950, 1951, and 1P53. The board’s administration staff establishment is exactly the same as it was in 1950 and, but for the general increases due to cost of living, rents, etc., over which the board has no control, no additional expense has been incurred other than those listed below. “Exceptional items of administrative and engineering expenses this year include election expenses, economic survey and classification (required by the Soil Conservation Act), Selwyn survey, Ellesmere land district survey, Hawkins survey (balance), conversion of old office to house, and construction of plant maintenance workshop (long overdue). These exceptional items total £17,480 and some will not repeat, while others will be spread over two years.

“The Waimakariri rate struck by the trust (of which Mr McArthur was a member) in 1945 was: class A .156 d B .142 d C .130 d. In 1947, under the Catchment Board, this rate was reduced to: A .126 d B .115 d C .105 d. Again, in 1950, it was further reduced to: A .066 d B .060 d C .055 d. During this period, because of extreme shortage of labour, maintenance work was insufficient to keep the river in a proper state, though a substantial reserve was built up. “The flood of May, 1950, necessitated heavy ’ expenditure to reinstate the works. It also brought home the fact that a more comprehensive control scheme was necessary. For this reason, in 1951 the Waimakariri rate was increased as follows: A .Id, B .09d, C .0825 d and these fractions have since been unchanged. “These fractions, it will be seen, are lower than those of the last rate struck by the trust, though it must be pointed out that increases in valuation have increased the total revenue from the rate. “I venture to suggest that, as a former chairman of the finance committee of the River Trust, and of the Catchment Board. Mr McArthur, if he had continued as a member of the board, would have been the first 1o support these measures necessary for the reasonable protection of our undertaking,” Mr Anderson concluded.