MIRAMAR RATES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 111, 12 May 1911, Page 3

MIRAMAR RATES.

SUGGESTED REDUCTION BY THE MAYOR NOT ADOPTED. INTERESTING DISCUSSION AT LAST NIGHT'S MEETING. A GENERAL RATE OF l|d TO BE STRUCK, A proposal for reduction of rates in the borough of Miramar was tnado by tho Mayor (Mi*. John Brodie) at a meeting of tho council held last evening. Mr. Brodie atated that the actual expenditure in the borough laet year had been only £4320 whereas, tho estimate wae £5396. He was of opinion, at tho same time that the wages paid were on the high 6ide. No less than £130 per month was paid for roading work in the borough. During the year new works had accounted for an, expenditure of £980, and £640 of this sum would not b«» recurring thin year. Hie idea wae that wages on road work should bo reduced by putting some of the men on i-oading work in works under the water > and drainage loan. This would nob mean putting men. 'out of work; they had always been able to fill in their time profitably. Altogether £23,000 had been spent on rostd works and he thought, with a few exceptiona, that they could do without any new works for another year, possibly two. By reducing the road statE in tho way he had 'sug> gested a saving of £350 could be efl'ect\ed, and £4320 coujd be token as tho basis of the expenditure in the borough for the next year. j REDUCED RATES. "I think," lie continued, "that it wilt be quito an easy matter for us to reduce rates, and I think it is a right and proper step for us to take. We should make up our minds to do it. I move 'that the general rate be reduced to Ud— at the present time it is lgd — and that tho total rates be- 2^d in the £.' Last year a big balance hod been brofight forward. He did not think this was a good thing. Councillor Bell seconded' the motion pro forma. He did not think it was a. question of reducing rates j he was of opinion it was a time for increasing, rates. Councillor Bowi« said that £1259 had been brought forward last year. Thie year they would be about £600 short of that. The Mayor eaid that the subsidy received last year wae £8 only. This year it would be £318. Councillor Bowie gave it as his opinion that tho only possible way to reduce rates would be to first effect a, further saving on tho tramways. The Mayor : If you a,r« going to maintain the wage* sheet in the same way as heretofore you will not. FUTURE CARE OF ROADS. Councillor Bell^ "A great deal has been 6aid about reducing wages to roadmen but in my opinion this year we will require more. With water and drainage works under construction, you certainly will (require more. In any case the road, meja's wages lamounfced to £110 per month, and not £130. The roads will require attention in the future — the. money spent laet yeai % was for keeping them in proper repair. Instead of reducing rates I bhink ib is desirable to incera6e them." This year would, ha

ea-id, bo a lean year ; next, year the water and drainage rate would b© upon them. If new works' weio to be don« they, would have to be done tide year. MAYOR IN REPLY. Tho Mayor: "Last year the expenditure was £700 under the estimate. It i« for the council to &ay whether it agrees with my suggestion." He made the suggestion because next year they would! have the water and drainage rate. There were only two 'streets in the borough, which were not in a good condition, and drainage would restore them, as "the water which caused tho damage would be carried away. Thepe should be aS re-, arrangement in connection with tho employees in the borough. He proposed, after tho estimates were dealt with, to go into the matter, and it would be. for the council to approve or reject his proposals. Councillor Bell said thab the state of the-bwo streets in Ihe borough was nob duo to waier-logging. The reason Vas that the council had not sufficient money, to do' the work. Councillor Bowie said that a reduction of rates would mean scamping worlds. flh© Mayor said this was nob so. Sevea men could bo kept permanently on 'the roads, aud tho others on the water '.ancfc drainage works. At the same time ib would perhaps be advisable for the council to fii'3b consider the new ;works whicbi were proposed. Councillor Richards did not think a r«-< ducbion Of rateß 'would, induce people to buy sections in tho borough. An mvestor had a good idea of what was likely ( to happon. Ho did not think it was wise la cut down rates— they never knew what was going to happen. "We mij?hb get the plague," one couai cillor facetiously suggesbed. . THE TRAMWAY MEMBERS. "We might," Councillor Richards rei torted seriously. He added that bhera mighb be\ extra expense in connection with the tramways. Concession ticket* on Sundays would mean a direct lotsEven if the council did have a little more money than ib needed there would be no incentive to squander it. Tho proposed, saying in rates would be a very small' thing to the individual— the absentee ratepayer they did nob care about— bub a reduction of rates was a big thing to the borough. There were good ratepayers in the borough to-day who argued 1 that the rates were not high enough to admit of necessary works being carried out. I MORE ABOUT ECONOMY. Tho Mayor eaid he had brought forward the proposal because lie did not. think ib was a good thing to brine forward a credit balance every year. Where there was a lot of money carelessness might creep in; where tho council had to conbider ways and means, economy would havo to oe practised. With a water and drainage rate ahead, the council would simply havo to practise economy. Care would have to be taken or the council would end witb high raAes and stagnation. If the council thought thai l^d for a general rate was too low ho would go a little further, and' alter his motion, to l^d, which would make bho tobal rate in, the borough 2|d in the £• Councillor Laurenspn said ho would sooner see tho exbru." rate on the tramways on Saturday and Sunday afternoons abolished than « reduction of the rates. Eventually it was agreed, on an amendment moved by Councillor Bell and seconded by Councillor Richards, that the general rate for 1911-12 should be the same as thab struck for 1910-11, viz., l|d in the £.