The Guardian FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1932. TOWN DISTRICT ECONOMIES.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LIII, Issue 12, 12 February 1932, Page 4

The Guardian

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1932. TOWN DISTRICT ECONOMIES.

Printed at Leeston, Canterbury, New Zealand, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

We are not sure whether our good friend the chairman of the Leeston Town Board was quite serious when, at the meeting held on Tuesday night, he made the rather startling statement that he had intended to move for a referendum on the question of whether the town district should rejoin the county, but we are certain that any such move would be strenuously fought by an overwhelming majority of the ratepayers, not because they have any lack of confidence in the County Council as at present constituted, but because the advantages of merging, from the financial point of view, are very doubtful. To suggest that there would be any substantial saving would be rather a reflection upon the Town Board's administrative capacity. Assuming that the affaris of the town district are to be looked after as well as in the past, the only saving of any consequence that could be made would be part of the clerk's salary, which might enable the controlling authority to reduce the general rate by a farthing in the pound. This would mean a saving of 12/- to a person whose general rate amounts to £6.

It is no doubt quite true, as Cmr. Free said, that many people were paying a rate that they could not well afford to pay, but the same remark may be made with regard to nearly every item of personal expenditure. The fact is that we are all more or less up against difficulties these days in meeting the calls made upon us. It should be realised, however, that the ratepayers in Leeston are no worse off in regard to the amount of rates they have to pay than are the inhabitants of other well-ordered centres of population. They have demanded good streets and footpaths, tidy channels, better drainage, adequate protection from fire, and other advantages, and these things cannot be provided except by heavier rating. During the last year, for instance, a sum of about £350 has been spent in permanent improvements, apart from ordinary maintenance. The main reason why the town district was constituted was that the town area requiried more attention than the County Council could reasonably be expected Jto give to its affairs. That reason ex[ists to-day to an even greater extent. We do not think it at all likely that [there will be any wholesale merging of town districts into counties following the investigations of the Economy Commission. No doubt there are some cases in the Dominion where merging would be in the best interests of the community, but it would certainly be a retrograde step in the casd of any town that has made marjked progress in recent years. T»e fact that the Town Board has £'103| outstanding in rates out of a

total sum of £1633 levied, is a mat- ' ter deserving of some notice. We ; know of very few districts in which < the proportion of rates still uncollected is so high, and those unacquainted with the true position may well be excused for thinking that the ratepayers in Leeston are in a very bad way. The present position is really due to the Board's desire to be excessively considerate to the ratepayers. Had the ten per cent, penalty been imposed at the proper time, there would be very little money outstanding at present, but the Board some time ago decided that it would not impose the penalty until the end of this month, and the ratepayers cannot be blamed for holding on to their money as long as possible. The person who could not pay his rates in, say, November or December, is not likely to be much better able to do so at the end of this month. If there are cases of genuine hardship, the Board still has power to i remit the penalty later on, after making due inquiry into the circumstances of the ratepayer. At. present the Board is building up quite a substantial bill in bank interest, its overdraft, according to the statement made by the chairman of the finance committee, being £826. The unfortunate position is that those who have paid their rates early are having to bear a share of the cost of giving financial accommodation to many people who do not really need it, as well as to some who probably do need it. Unless the amount outstanding is very substantially reduced by March 31, the end of the financial year, the ■ Board stands a very good chance of having its balance-sheet tagged by ; the Audit Department.