The Grey River Argus MONDAY, May 7, 1934. BOROUGH FINANCES.

Grey River Argus, 7 May 1934, Page 4

The Grey River Argus MONDAY, May 7, 1934. BOROUGH FINANCES.

While harder times may render local body revenue less easily collectable than it formerly was in some instances, it is satisfactory to note Unit for the past fin ancial year the percentage of outstanding rates in the Borough of Greymouth was less than in the previous year, having been 9.9 as against 11.3 per cent. Ihe Municipal balance sheet is reported to show altogether lor the period a deficiency in revenue of £2.431 as compared with the es-

timate, £36,529 having been received as against £38,960 budget ed for. The actual expenditure amounted to £37,592, or £1063 above the receipts, being £1368 less than the estimated outlay, but at the end of the year there was about £lOOO owing on wages and other accounts. In the case

of the Municipal Gas Works, the. deficiency of receipts from gas sales is given at £934, although about £6OO was owing to the department at the end of the year, while, in addition depreciation to the extent of £330 has to be allowed for. It is pointed out that the price of gas lias been reduced," but as against that the cost of coal for the department has fallen. No doubt, sales will increase as a result, for the Borough is particularly interested in seeing this service kept up to iis former remunerative level, as the alternative to any rating increase. Decreases of revenue include one of £442 in the. sale of gas residuaries, £233 in water revenue, £l5B in reserve rents, £72 in sanitary fees, and £212 in abattoir fees. These items are to

a certain extent, a reflex o f the? depression, but even so it is ' roughly reckoned that actual re-1' venue and expenditure have balanced. So much at least was to ; have been expected, when it is borne in mind that the borough has been in receipt of large subventions in connection with tie various works carried out by unemployed labour. To this aid must, of course, be attributed a great deal of maintenance work as well as other operations, and when the full extent of the expenditure under this head is allowed for, there would seem no reason whatever to apprehend any excess of expenditure over actual receipts. It might, indeed. be said that a local body unable to show a balanced budget under such circumstances ought to revise its policy, as thcr scarcely could have been any want of money, so long as it had been judiciously utilised. The tendency of the Unemployment Board is now to begin a restriction on the subsidies for ordinary or maintenance works, and. in view of the results of past grants, financial as well as otherwise, it can be said that the Board has been none too soon in this decision. Having regard to the extraordinary sums of money obtainable for the work of local bodies in the past from the wages (taxation, observers all over the Dominion are agreed that the return to the country has been by no means an adequate one. It is true that roads, streets, and other public utilities have had under the scheme of relief an unprecented amount of attention, but it is not superficial work that is going to bear fruit in the ultimate result. The improvement of the water supply, as well as drainage, does come into the really useful category. The Borough Council will be well advised if, in the current term, it devotes the means available to this type of work in the paying of a standard wage such as the labour required is undoubt, edly worth. The opportunity to obtain assistance from the Unemployment Board is one which the local bodies cannot expect to remain permanently. The whole basis of the Board’s policy requires radical revision. That, however, is not to say that an individual local body should not make the best of the wages taxation. subventions so long as they are to be had. It is only fair to acknowledge that they have af forded exceptional means of saving. even if those means have not been as fully utilised as they might have been, and while they remain, the most should be made of them.