COUNTY ESTIMATES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20568, 30 May 1941, Page 2

COUNTY ESTIMATES

EXPENDITURE OF £30,889 RATE RISE NOT FAVOURED WAIROA CHAIRMAN'S VIEW (Special to llio Herald.) WAIROA, this day. “The estimates as prepared show that provision will require to be made for an expenditure of £30,889 in the general account, compared with an actual expenditure of £25,282 for last year,” said the chairman of the Wairoa County Council, Mr. A. T. Carroll, when dealing at the annual meeting with the estimates for 1941-42 in his report on the administration cf county affairs for the past year. The increased expenditure contemplated, he said, was mainly due to the necessity for making provision for a new dull-dozer, increasing road maintenance costs duo to the rise in prices for metal supplies, tools, material and equipment, and also certain expenditure on the KopuawharaMahia and Mahia Peninsula access roads which could not be charged to loan moneys. The total of all general, separate and special rates levied last year amounted to 2d. and 37/(iolhs. d. in the £1 capital value, and he was not in favour of increasing the aggregate of the levy for the current year, even that farming incomes would not be rate was necessary. He was certain that farming increases would not be maintained 'at last year’s returns, and therefore it was the duty of the council to meet the position by keeping the rate levy down to the minimum.

“To offset the increase in hospital rates,” added the chairman, “I suggest that the general rate be reduced by l/Bd. in the £1 to 1 3/Bd. in the £l, and should the council decide to levy a bridge fund rate, then the amount of any levy be met by a cor-’ responding further reduction in the general rate.” This, he said, could very well be accomplished without seriously affecting the position of the general account, which showed a healthy credit of £9258 on March 31, 1941. Possibly if another favourable season so far as weather conditions were concerned was experienced, a saving could be effected on some of the road maintenance items, and he would like councillors to go through the estimates carefully to see if it were possible to cut down expenditure on any of the roads in their districts