"KNOW YOUR CITY"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1924, Page 7

"KNOW YOUR CITY"

WELLINGTON'S POSITION AND OUTLOOK '.'/•■■' REMAKES BY ME. BL D. BENNETT, '' "Business men, know your city" was the point made by Councillor H. D. Bennett (chairman of the Camber of Commerce) to-day, when speaking at the Chamber of Commerce 'luncheon on the subject, "The Finances of: the 'City'of Wellington." Before''touching on'actual figures, the speaker : B aid that it was . with reluctance that he decided to delve into-such a big subject,! arid: he'would snhf?? T% *"?, be to° oritical> as the subject lent itself to varied views. Matand h Lad / semi -P°li«cal aspect, and he would endeavour.to avoid any- ■ thing of fhat nature. JHis aim was to get. business^ people interested in local municipal affairs, as it Avas oniv"bv arousing that interest that we could'es-" " pect to get the', best class of candidate -■■ ,for municipal honours.- - ■"' for' ■?f mett« «>* was" worth "woriung.; fi^^l l Waf'- hoWeVer' dishearvtening to ■' election of the people's trustees. It was, of course, admitted that it tooK S^ to;. facetlle -erage class ot public meeting of to-day, and the iob ' became-more difficult since Labour had ' " °r!r lS|f ? or sectional Wai " ■ Mr Bennett said that,the'problem of S-L CIX ay Was th- e ne^d' of Capital '■: expenditure on the right lines. He'wrs certain ■.that the, loan authorities-given/ by the ratepayers. in 1920 would nofc now .meet with the approval' of rate-- ' payers, and it became: an- exceedingly1 important quests as to .whether-or not ■ the council should take the' iiecessarv -steps-to review the whole position We- " ought tobe empowered, he urgM, to ?PPly all future loans to the best u«6' ' m the light of present-day, requirements and judgment, and not on those of four ,or hve years ago. . Evidence would be given of the desirability ;of, reducing , an- ■- nual street charges by juaicious expenditure on street pa,ving, and that was .where new loans should go -instead 'of on " many proposals submitted to and carried, by .the ratepayers at:a- time when the community was thinking in millions./Mr. Bennett' suggested that the ■ Mayor might be induced- 'to ■ set up a - special committee .to go, into the question of recasting some'of .'the loan pro- ,/• posals -already 'authorised.- Of course, "' legislation would be required -but it ■'■■• was worth the attempt. >■ -.'.. '■■ ) ■:'■''-' --, Mr. Bennett said he thought that lie1 would not have'time to. deal-adequately' ' with the figures relating to': our trading ; departments on that occasion, but hs> ''. would try to say aU:'that he wanted ' to say concerning the ordinary, func- ' tions-of the council. He did not intend. - to. criticise the Milk Department, as fha - affairs of that branch of the city's' ac- ' tivitieswrere at the present time the sub-' ' ject of, a special investigation, committee.. SOME INTEKESTINa FIGURES:

The finances of theicity were then dealt with m some detail. The speaker point-; ed'out that the city's debt had 'increased from £2,352,332 in 1914/ to £3.778,666. m 1924, and .when, the loans authorised were fully raised the' debt would be £4,852,666.' The revenue; of. the r; city from all. sources now amounted to over £1,000,000 per annum. .A' striking instance of. the growth of .the city would be gathered from a comparison of the re--S^ 6?^l9^, 3113 1924" In 1914 if was £471,451, whilst: for, the past year it amounted to £1,308,355.' The-year's profits from the several trading -accounts were:—Tramways, £9070; electric "light- : ing, £12,868; power ■ supply, £8824 -: milk supply, £2284—a total of £33,046. . ■) \ FO"UR CITIES' RATESJ ' : i;. ' As there was no uniform system of- rat- ■ ing in. the four chief cities, no accurate comparison could be made. An idea of the comparative- rating, however, -could be gained from the following figures :1- '• -Auckland: Capital .value, £27-998 607; unimproved value, £16,422,282 -rates re-J ceived,. 1922, £335,051; 2.04 per cent. ' ;: ■ Christchurch : Capital value,, £18,828 -■ ■7T3; unimproved value, ■ £8,545 902'rates received, 1922, ? £168,938 •'2 0 per Cent.' ;• . ;■■■:■■.:•■.. „"- l' .;! ■.. .•' ' Dnnedin: Capital value, £13,387 558 ; unimproved value, : £5,452,568-; rates received 1922, £144,808j 2.63 per' cent. ■ Wellington: Capital value. £30 280----890; unimproved value, '£15,037,127-- rates I received, 1922, £285,207.; 1.9 per cent