RATEPAYERS & RENTPAYERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 271, 10 August 1920, Page 5

RATEPAYERS & RENTPAYERS

Every page of statistics in the Muni'cipal Handbook tells its own story for those who lake the trouble to put the flesh of imagination on the 60-called "dry bones" of figures. Take, for example, the table showing for tho boroughs throughout New Zealand the area, estimated population, dwellings, ratepayers, and rateable , properties. Here are the populations (with ratepayers in parentheses) for the four chief centres:—Auckland (city proper), (18,888 04,2-19 ratepayers); Wellington (city proper), 73,305 (8300); Christchurch (eitv proper), 55,800 (10,950); Dunedin (city proper), 55.25G (8239). The proportions of ratepayers to population are, approximately—Auckland, 203 P er cent.; Wellington, 11 1-3 per cent.; Christchurch, 19J per cent.; Dunedin, 15 per cent. The first impression of an average reader is that tho line "Every man his own landlord" applies more to Auckland than to any_ of tho sister cities, and that opinion may be strengthened by the following figures:— Auckland—dwellings 14,001. ratepavcrs 14,249; Wellington-dwellings 13,950, ratepavcrs 8300: Clristeliurcli-divellings 14,203, ratepayers 10,950: Dunedin-dwel-lings 13,050. ratepayers 8230. A stock explanation is that Wellington has the largest proportion of . temporary or migratory population. Tho population (with ratepayers in parentheses) for certain boroughs, selected nt random «re:-Hanii,U<m. 7538 (2500): Stratford 2713 (785); Wanganui, 14,380 (3200); Miistcrton, 5894 (2100); Blenheim, 3822 (1051); Ktmiara 623 (171'); Waikouaili, 011 (212); Temuka, IG33' (508).; Invorcargill, 14,154 (4580). Generally speaking, tho home-owning habit is seen to be much more firmly established in tho rural boroughs than in tho larger centres of population.