BOROUGH ELECTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 May 1938, Page 2

BOROUGH ELECTION

FREAK BUDGETING When a local body budgets for deficiencies in times of prosperity, the onlv term to apply to such a policy is “freak.” Let. us Lake a further look al the past policy of the Greymouth Borough Council. On March 31, 1935, the Council’s overdraft (bank ’ debit balance, plus unpresented cheques, less cash in hand) was £2,255. The town was beginning to boom, yet the Council budgeted for a deficiency oi £3,707. an increase of £1,449. That is, the Council decided to spend £1,449 more than they proposed to collect from the ratepayers, or to borrow with the express sanction of the Local Bodies’ Loans Board and the ratepavers. and. having decided to budget for a deficiency of £3.707. they ended up with a deficiency of £4.547. The next vear —the town being in the heydev of prosperity—the Council woke up and decided to make up the, leeway and a little more, and increased the Borough rates by £2000; but. the expenditure tide was running too strongly, and the Council made more leeway to the tune of £2OOO, ending up with a deficiency of £6,535. It levied £2OOO more rates for Borough purposes, and still slipped an additional £2OOO as compared with 1935-6. In the past year. 1937-8, the majority of the councillors pulled their oars in and said, “Let her drift!" The overdraft was £6.535, but while they continued to collect the additional £2OOO of rates, they budgeted for an increase of over £1.400 in the deficiency, notwithstanding that the town was still booming, and money so much the easier to get in. 'rhe increased deficiency of £1.400 budgeted for was hopelessly inadequate, for the deficiency increased by thousands of pounds in the one year. It is hoped that the tide, has swept the. good ship into calm water, where virtually a new crew (the Citizens ticket for Council and Mayoralty) will refit her, and steer her on her correct course, avoiding in future tho shoals of the Sea of Finance. —P.B.A.

MR. P. BLANCHFIELD. Mr. P. Planchfield, a candidate for ;tlm Mayoralty, will address the electors in Blaketown to-morrow evening. He. will announce the policy which he thinks is necessary for the future of the Borough of Greymouth. COUNCIL FINANCE. [to the editor. ] Sir, —Your correspondent -“Another Uninvited Citizen" raised a good point when he wanted to know why Councillors Williams and Harker, both members of the Citizens' Ticket, did not raise their voices about the “Frenzied Finance” al Coun'cil meetings. Both gentlemen had lit lie lo say even when Councillor Blanchfield drew lhe people's ailentimi to lhe sorry slate <u‘ the Borough finances, f'll go one further and ask why did itoi ex-Conncillor Neville notice the drift, of Borough finances and warn lhe people of lhe “Frenzied Finance” the citizens ticket now complains of? These three gentlemen were members of a Council which practised "Frenzied Finance.” and must have been either ignorant of the true state of affairs or else afraid to speak out. I am etc. “LET THERE BE LIGHT.” [to the editor.] Sir, —I could not but smile at Hit 1 reply to my enquiry regarding citizens’ committee. Very clever but very evasive. I am store that the citizens of Greymouth would like to have my questiofi answered, viz., “Was a public meeting ever called to select candidates to contest the mayoralty and council, or was it a few who took the name of the citizens to further their own ends?” Answer that “Me H eart i es.’ ’ —Yours, etc., UNINVITED CITIZEN.