VANISHED RATES REVENUE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 12

VANISHED RATES REVENUE.

A MANAWATU LINE DEVELOPMENT. LOCAL BODIES AFFECTED. riiioiigh the action of the Government in purchasing the property of tho Wellington and Manawntu Railway Company, tho various local' bodies along tho lino from Wellington to Longbura aro more or less affected owing to thero not being any. substitution for the rates formerly paid by tho company. Some little time ago it became necessary for the secretary of tho Wellington District Hospital Board and tho Wellington and Wnirarapa Charitable Aid Board to arrango tho apportionment of tho special rates to bo struck bv the' various contributing local bodies in tlio Wellington district. It is customary to do this on tho basis of the capital value of property within the jurisdiction of each body concerned, and it has been arrived at by taking the last valuations of tho Valuation Department, which wore mado up to March 31, 1!)08. I'hoso valuations evidently included tho Wellington and Manawntu Railway Company's property in tho several boroughs and counties traversed by tho track.' Kinco then, of course, tlio railway has passed into tlifl hands of the Government (which pays no rates), and a protest is now being made by tlio body ohiclly affccted against tho apportionment so innocently mado. Tho protesting body is tlio Horowhenun County Council, through whoso domains the railway travels for about fiO miles—from a point beyond Tokomaru down to Waikanae. A letter received by tho secretary of tho Wellington Hospital ;and Charitable Aid Board (Mr. Geo. Willis) sufficiently explains tho situat.on:—

"Dear Sir, —I liavo to acknowledge 'receipt of your notifications of March 23 advising tho amount payable by this council as contribution for the year 15)09-10 to tho Wellington and Wairarapa Charitable Aid Board, and also to tlio District of Wellington Hospital Board. On examination of tlio statements attaelicd i I find that, for tho purpose of apportioning the several amounts payable by the different local bodies, you have stated tho capital valuo of this county as £2,765,015. This is not correct, as that valuo includes tho capital valuo of the Wellingtflii-Mnn.iwntu railway line in tho county (£171,104), and, as this lias been taken over by tlio Governnient, and thereforo' becomes noij--'* ratable, tho valuation for tho vea'r 1909-10 will only he £2,503,8,17. "The matter will bo brought before my council on April 10, and dealt with as prescribed bv tho Act, as an adjustment will be of considerable importance to tho council, and will mean a consider- • able reduction in the amount of the annual contribution. "H. E. LODGE. "Acting County Clerk." This only refers to the loss in respect of tho Government's absorption of tho railway as regards tlio two special rates mentioned, hut all other county and borough rates are rqunllr affected, and this will have a ywrked infill er.ee on tho estimates of the interested local bodies fov the coming year. These are tho ITorowlicnua Countv Council. Hutt County Council (from WaiUanae to I'orirna), tho Makara County Council (from TVirinn to .Tohnsouville), the .lohnsonvillo Town Board (nt .lohnsonvillo), the Onslow Borough Council (from Joliiif-onvillc to Ooldio-sbroe), and tlio Wellington City Council (from Goldiesbrae to Diivis Street). The whole matter will be gone into at the next meeting of tho Hospital Board'.