Higher grants by Waimairi County

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33857, 31 May 1975, Page 13

Higher grants by Waimairi County

Grants totalling $32,829 to help various organisations were made by the Waimairi County Council at its estimates meeting on Thursday evening. Similar grants last year totalled $27,467.

In addition, the council voted $120,000 as its share of the estimated deficit of $460,647 in the Christchurch Town Hall’s budget. Last year, the county paid $71,827 as its share of the costs.

The council voted $29,127 for the Canterbury Museum, compared with $24,486 paid last year, and $46,810 as its share of the cost of running the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority, which last year got $36,492 from county ratepayers. Civil defence costs were up as well — from $7206 to $9730 — but on the brighter side was a drop in the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire | Board’s levy from $164,958! last year to $98,250. This! came about because of the | shift in the emphasis of the board’s revenue to get more from insurance companies. In discussing grants to! organisations, the council

agreed that its share of the Civic Orchestra costs would be paid only to a trust form of administration. Among the major grants was one of $7143 for the Ferrymead Trust, the coun-

cil’s share of a request for $30,140 from local bodies. Last year, Waimairi paid $6357 to the trust. The council granted $521 as its share of $2200 wanted by the Christchurch Aged ! Peoples’ Welfare Council and a new grant of $llB5 to the South Island Zoological ■Society for its projected wildlife park at McLean’s Island. I Cr R. J. Skjellerup commented it was a pity that it was accepted that animals should have more financial support than people, but the chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) said that the welfare council was in a reasonable financial position. The society, he said, had proved that it had public support and that the zoo would be self-supporting. Last year, the council voted $2OO o the South Island Promotion Association. Though the association asked for more this year, the council deleted the vote. The Canterbury Progress League got $4OOO instead of $2380 last year for its public relations office, with $l4O for the league itself.