THE GENERAL RATE

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 10

THE GENERAL RATE

DOWN, NOT UP

OFJFICIAL FIGURES

HERE .AND ELSEWHERE

By constitution ana inclination every ratepayer >of every city and town is a fairly cor»;tant growler about his rate demands, and Wellington, just at present, is paj -ticularly. interested in rates. On several occasions recently statements liare been made that after all Wellington's rates are not high, not those, at jiuy rate, which are fixed by the City t Council, i.e., the general as distinct f a om the special rates. Some interesting figures were handed to a "JPost" reporter by Councillor Semple toHday as showing that the general rate -has actually .fallen since 1923, though special rates have gone up on amount of borrowing and the Hospital tvid Charitable Aid rate has outdistanced special rates, doubling during the lq.st ten years. The figu res, which were prepared for Mr. SempJle by the Town Clerk's department, arc:—The General rate from 1916 to jj.928 is as follows:—1916-17 2 7-10 d; '1917-18, 2 l-10d; 1918-19, 2 l-10d; 19120, 2Jd; 1920-21, 2 81-100d--1921-22, 2 81-lOOd; 1922-23, 2 81-100 d' 1923-24, 3 d; 1924-25, 2 7-10 d; 1925-26' 2 7-10 d; 1926-27, 2 7-10 d: 1927-28 2 7-10 d. ■ ■ ■ " . ' The liJ] rary rate from 1916 to 1921 was 17-21 lOd in the £, and from 1922 to 1924 fvas reduced to 14-200 d; from 1924-25 >to date the rate has been 16-200 d. •: With rur;ard to the special rates covering looofiii these were consolidated in 1924, the. rate being lid. In 192G this was increased to lid, the rate for 1927----28 rema.iw.ing at this figure, ljd. The total of .■the rates on the unimproved values since the consolidation of the special Hate in 1924-25 have been: 1924-25, 4 3-100 d; 1925-20, 4 3-100 d; 1926-27, .4. 28-100 d; 1927-28, 4 28-100 d. HOSPITAL KATE. The Hospital and Charitable rate from ISIKS-17 to date is as follows:— 1916-17, SI 2-3 d; 1917-18, 3 l-3d; 1918----19, 4^dj 1919-20, sid; 1920-21, 6 7-8 d: 1921-22^Jd;- 1922-23, 4^d; 1923-24, 4Jd; 1924-25, 4d; 1925-26, 5 l-15d: 1926-27, 4}d; 19W7-28, 6d. The ii>ater rate from .1916 to 1921 remained: ait 2J per cent, on the annual value: l! 921-22, 2J per cent.; 1922-23, 2 A per »ceoit.; 1923-24, 4 per cent.; 1924----26/4$ por cent.; 1926 to 1928, 5-i per cent. 'Jlhe street lighting rate "since 1921 te» date has remained at 1 l-6d. From the above it will be seen that there lias been no increase in the genoral rut c for some years; in fact, a reduction was granted in 1924-25. The library, rato has remained permanent since 3 924, and the special rates during th< i past two years have not been increased. The increase of 1926-27 and 1927-2fJ over the years 1924 to 1926 being ionly i&. It Wll be seen that the greatest increase 3 s in the Hospital, and Charitable rate, Tii/hich is now 6d, against 4Jd last yenr. IN OTHER CENTRES. The , following information with regard t<j the Hospital and Charitable Aid. lovies in-the four principal centres is of interest:—

•Per head or population. . Anq ther comparison is mado aa between, the general rates of fivo centres which have the unimproved value system o|E: rating:—Wellington, 2 7-10 din the i$ p Christchurch, 3 3-8 d; Palmcrstou tf.crth, 2d; Napier, 3d; and Gisbornc), 3 l-64d. Auckland and Dunediu oporaj to under the annual valuo system and t annot bo directly compared with Well* ngton. '"Jlhoso figures wilj surely convince ratepayers that they are in not so shnelj ing a position after all," remarked IJ.'r. Souiplo, "for the plain fact is thiat they compare very well with thosfl. for any other largo centre in the Domjinion, and, when one takes into eons) deration the very great difficulties undqr which Wellington is served, due to ti:io configuration of the whole of tho 4city, it must be said that the comparfsVn is wholly in favour of Wellingtijin. The Public Hospital is an humMnritarian institution and as long as citizwus are shown that it is run on sounrfl and efficient linos then, to my mind, they have no cause nor right to corns >lain of J llO lovy that is made upon then?, to maintain this service in the highjest standard possible."

Auck- Christ- I)un- Welling- ' land. church. cdiv. ton. 1922 .'. £21,474 £ 18,604 £26,610 £32,!)2fl •6s 5s 2M<l 0s 2d 7a 4%d 1023 . , £25.01)5 £20,006 £20,511 £35,950 •U i 0 3-5(1 5a 4 l-3d 6s U'£<l 7s 10 l-3d 1921 „ £26,764 £15.591 £20,511 £31.741 *'0s 1 1-«(1 Is lid 6s nd 6s S«d 1923 .«. 534.06S £10,896 £20,96« £41,657 *7s 8% 4s 0 l-3d 6s S?.id Ss 6^d 192U .. £37.053 £20,365 £20,941 £38,683 •S» 7d 4s lO^d 6s 2Hd 7a lOV'd 102T «,. £39.631 £24.656 £20,502 £53.150 *'9a 0 1-3<l 5a lid Ss S%d Us 0 l-3d