FINANCIAL YEAR

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31375, 22 May 1967, Page 10

FINANCIAL YEAR

Remit Proposes Change

More than 100 members of catchment authorities, engineers, conservators and secretaries will attend the twentyfirst annual conference of the New Zealand Catchment Authorities* Association on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. The Minister of Lands (Mr Maclntyre) will open the conference at Wairakei.

Among the remits to be considered is one from the Southland Catchment Board proposing that the association promote a conference of all local authority organisations concerned with a view to changing the financial year for all local authorities from April-March to July-June. The reason behind this remit is that the greatest works activity is, because of the weather, from December to May. As that period lies between two financial years, virtually only four months are available to carry out the bulk of the programme for a financial year. Local authorities whose works expenditure is subsidised by the Government have tried for years to persuade the Government to close the financial year in June, instead of March. This, in the opinion of the Southland board, is a sound reason for a change. A North Canterbury remit asks for a £2 for £1 subsidy for fencing to exclude stock from native bush, especially in gullies, in the interests of water and soil conservation. Remnants of native bush in gullies help control erosion, but stock damages the bush, bares the ground covering of leaf mould and prevents regeneration.