RATE REDUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 55, 2 September 1932, Page 3

RATE REDUCTION

In further reference to rate reduction, ."Alert" draws' attention to an obvious literal error in Mr. McLaren's letter of 25th August. The council reduction in revenue was printed as £9500 instead o£ £95,000. "But suppose the alleged reduced revenue of the council is £95,000 (proceeds "Alert"), how is it that the rates revenue has increased from £431,628 ss. 11(1 in 1929 to £508,000 in 1932? Mr. McLaren must realise that these figures, taken from the signed documents of the City Council, and ' published for all to see, show an increase of Yate revenue of £76,000. Surely it is' not too much to ask Mr. McLaren to show us wherein the council has had a reduced revenue of £95,000. When it has doubled the cost of its reserves and trebled its salaries bill in a few years, the council does not seem to have been troubled with a shortage of money, and all the rate. notices I have seen show-increases'. These things do not convince one or many that the City Council has done all it could have done to lessen the intolerable rate burdens of property owners, who have not only suffered a 20 to 50 per cent, reduction in rents, but have many properties vacant and paying increased rates. The council puts the cart before the horse. It makes up .what it is determined to spend and then determines to collect from the ratepayers the amount. The council should first reduce the rates by 10 per cent. . and then budget its ■ expenditure accordingly. One thing is certain/ if Mr. McLaren is right about the revenue, of the council having been reduced by £95,000, the rates would' have been reduced by nearly 20 percent, if the money had been remitted as it should have been to ratepayers. Mr. McLaren has mentioned the Ratepayers' Association in almost every letter about this rate reduction. I have only mentioned it once because I agreed with its judgments. But I am an independent correspondent. I am not an official propagandist. I am just a plain blunt man and no. orator, as Brutus is. I am not even a member of the Wellington Ratepayers' Association, but I think that association has ratepayers' interests at heart, and. that is more than the City Council seems to have."