Rate increases

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 12

Rate increases

Sir,—Do you remember the mayor and councillors of Hamelin town who had grown wondrous i comfortable in office until the rats ■ (rates?) threatened their sinecures? In desperation they employed a , magic piper with disastrous results. T* Then, as now, councils had short

memories. Thousands of Christchurch ratepayers would not be unhappy to see the Wizard lead our Mayor and council through a portal in a mountainside never to return. If, however, one lame promise should be left behind, let it be Sir Hamish, to remind us of the promised land where rates would be moderate, where amalgamation would benefit all, and honey bees had lost their stings. Let Heathcote, Waimairi, and others beware of corporations who. are “unable to give their brains a racking to find a remedy we’re lacking.” And let our Mayor and corporation remember Browning’s final line — “If we’ve promised them aught, let us keep our promise.” — Yours, etc., J. FEELEY. August 11, 1985.

Sir, — While D. J. Rowlands accuses Mike Robertson of having earned “a bonus of $67,000” on his Merivale property both correspondents miss vital points. What sort of bonus has D. J. Rowlands accrued with his property? How much did he pay for it originally compared with Mike Robertson’s outlay? Relatively speaking I bet he has done nearly as well without being in Merivale. It is naive to talk of property appreciation as a “bonus” as all it does is keep people safe-guarded against inflationary forces. Property outside Merivale can be bought with less capital outlay while still appreciating at a very satisfactory rate and can be sold for a relatively higher price because they are more affordable than the artificial, often unachievable, Merivale values. Why do Christchurch’s most successful speculators avoid Merivale? They are shrewd, hnd know the real story. — Yours, etc., W. J. C. ROYDS. August 9, 1985.