ESTIMATES FOR 1918-19

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 14, 16 July 1918, Page 3

ESTIMATES FOR 1918-19

INCREASE IN RATES.

The Petone Borough Council passed its estimates for the coming year at last night's meeting.

Owing to the greatly increased hospital and charitable aid levy, it has been found necessary to increase the rates by 7-24 din the £ on the. capital value, and owing to the increase in cost of Huttroad maintenance it has also been found necessary to increase the rate payable on the unimprovedvalue by 17-168 d in the £. ' The general account starts the year with the handicap of a debit balance of £11,840 Ss lid, but it is expected that this amount will be reduced to £11,546 7s by the close of the year. In connection with this account the street lighting is estimated to cost £255 17s 8d more than last year, owing to the rise in the price of gas. The only advances in office salaries are £15 to one of the lady clerks and £6 to the borough inspector. The gas manager gets an advance of £25. It is intended this year to strike a separate rate of 7-24 d in the £ to cover the hospital levy. This rate is estimated to show a surplus of £106 16s 7d. The general rate has been reduced by £d in the £ as a, result of the striking of the hospital separate rate. Allowance has been made in the library account for the purchase of £25 worth of books for the schools' libraries. j In spite of the increase in the price of gas, it is expected that the debit balance of the gas working account will be increased from £4444 19s in 1918 to £5782 13s Id in 1919.-

The debit balance of the retail coal department is to be increased by £105 13s6d, but this is largely accounted for by the allowance for the purchase of a horse and harness and the erection of a shed. The motor 'bus account is estimated to show a loss of £55 9s Bd, but this loss is covered by proposed expenditure on capital account of some £56, which will leave the account about square at the end of the year. In the Hutt-road maintenance account it is proposed to wipe off a debit balance of £215 "12s, and close the year with a credit of £90. In the'course of a statement 'made, the Mayor, Mr. J. W. M'Ewan, said that the increases were mainly due to (a) increase of hospital levy by £500, (b) increase on Hutt-road maintenance by £468, (c) increase in street lighting by £256, (d) increases in wages and salaries and' expenditure on roads and footways £266.

Compared with the year 1912 the rates had increased by £7806. This increase was made up by the increases in the following items : Hospital levy, £882; Huttroad charges, £1295; street lighting, £391; wages and salaries, general account, £791; fodder and material, £170; bridge loan interest, £311; foreshore loan interest, etc., £405; sewerage loans interest, £3990. The following comparisons were made by the Mayor at per head of the population in Wellington, Karori, and Petone respectively:—Rateable value, Wellington £279, Karori £298, and Petone £182 ; debt, £26 9s Id, £45 9s 2d, and £25 I 103 respectively; annual charges, £1 12s ! 6d, £3 Is Id, and £1 5s 7d'; reyenue from rates, £2 7s Bd, £5 6s 3d,, and £2 4s 6d;. management expenses, 2£ per cent., 7g percent., and 3.6 per cent. This showed that the borough administration had nothing to fear in comparison with other boroughs. One great difficulty that'had to be contended -with was the large amount of Government land hot paying rates. Councillor Brockolbank said: the outlook for future .improvements was not good, as 'the only way these could be carried out was by increasing the rates. Councillor Cox made a comparison of the finances of the borough in the years--1913 and 1917.

Councillor Churchouse challenged the statement that the gas works had over shown a profit. The borough was not paying its way, and was placing too heavy a burden on future generations.