BOROUGH ESTIMATES

Grey River Argus, 6 August 1937, Page 12

BOROUGH ESTIMATES

APPROVED BY COUNCIL Slight Increase in Levy The Greymouth Borough Council last evening approved estimates of receipts and expenditure for the year, ending March 31st, 1938. There is an addition of slightly less than a farthing (,23d) in the pound in the charitable aid rate, due to a rise of £1.300 in the hospital levy, the other rates remaining as they were last year, except for an increase in Cobden’s rate to meet liabilities on the loan to complete its water supply. Following are details of the estimates:— Receipts:—-Cash in hand 31st March, 1937 £3273 12s 8d; General rate—Greymouth area £6500; Ten per cent penalty on overdue rates £46; Government subsidy on rates £450; Sanitary fees—Greymouth area £900; Licensing (including heavy, traffic) £2100; Reserve rents £200; S.M. Court fees £7; Hospital rate £6112 8s 2d; Cemetery lees (including sale of plots) £350; Library subscriptions £230; Town Hali rents £500; Abattoir fees £1500; Sale of gas £8600; Sale of stoves and fittings £2400; Sale of residuals £2000; Water rate £1900; Water, extraordinary supply £1500; Government subsidy on petrol tax £1700; Special rate £5400; Other revenue £BOO. Cobden area:—Rates— General £1000; Hospital £750 17s sd; Street lighting £140; Special £450; Water £5B; Ten per cent penalty in overdue rates £2O; Pub.leans' licenses £80; Sanitary ,fees £300; Outstanding revenue £6500; Balance unprovided for £7945 3s sd. Total £63,713 Is Bd. Expenditure:—Dr. National Bank of N.Z. 31/3/37 £9079 4s sd;; District Fund Dr. to Cobden Loan A/c. £92 9s i Id; Borough Cheques unpresented £730 Is 2d—£9901 14s 8d; March salaries and outstanding accounts £1757 19s 9d; Mayor’s honorarium £150; Town Clerk’s and officers’ salaries £2150; Administration and miscellane-

ous £1000; Drainage £1000; Main highways £1000; Street maintenance < £5500; Street, new work £500; Street lighting £900; Removal nightsoil £1030; Removal house refuse £325; Fire prevention £495; Reserves, Recreation and public instruction £900: Municipal bath £150; Hospital levy £6112 8s 2d; Cemetery maintenance £280; Cemetery extension £100; Library and reading room £660; Town Hall £350; Gas—wages and upkeep £9000; Gas appliances and fittings, etc. £2000; gas, depreciation fund £375; Abattoir £1250; Water, wages and upkeep £500; Water extensions £1000; Water, electric power for pumps £1150; Health inspector £129; Inspector of Nuisances £145; Elections £100; Women’s rest room £45; Social amenities (unauthorised expenses) £100; Interest and sinking fund £7600; Relief of unemployment out of revenue £2300; Aerodrome £lOO. Cobden area: —Street manitenance and casual labour, motor larry and stores, etc., £1000; Drainage £200; Bridge charges, Grey County £74 Is 8d; Refuse removal £25; Nightsoil removal £450; Fox Strqet culvert £200; Street lighting £184; Hospital levy £750 17s sd; Inspector of Health £23; Relief of Unemployment out of revenue £750; Total £63,713 Is Bd. The Mayor (Mr W. Meldrum) stated the estimates had been before the Finance Committee, which had recommended their adoption. Cr. J. B. Kent moved that the list of estimates, receipts and expenditure be adopted. Cr. McKane seconded. Cr. Neville moved that the estimates be adopted with the exception of the figures for reliei of unemployment.

Cr. Kent said it was a matter cf form that the estimates should be adopted, whether they liked it or not. The Mayor said that they could be modified later. The Town Clerk pointed out that they could not strike rates unless the fact was advertised. The Mayor said that he thought it would be better to take the amendment in the ordinary open meeting. They could then carry any resolution as regards expenditure. BALANCE UNPROVIDED FOR. Cr. A. M. Carroll said that the balance unprovided for was almost £B,OOO, and the figure proposed was an enormous amount of money to expend without provision being made as to where it was to come from. They were budgeting for £6,500 by way of outstanding revenue, and it looked to him as though they would not be in as good a position as now at the end of the year. There was an increase of £1,300 in the hosptial levy. The Mayor said that last year the sum of £5,629 was unprovided for. The Town Clerk said that if it panned out anything like the estimates, they would finish up with £B,OOO, so they would be £3OO or £4OO better off. The Mayor said they were budgeting for £2,300 for unemployment, plus £750. A sum of £l,BOO had been budgeted for last year. Cr. Neville said that they must remember that there was an increase of £2,000 in rates last year, and now there was another £1,300 increase in rates. This meant an additional £3,300 to be borne by the ratepayers. Cr. Kent had asked them where they were to cut down the estimates. He (Cr. Neville) would say that they should make the Government shoulder the responsibility of unemployment. Just because 100 were put off the Public Works for instance, there was no reason why the Council should shoulder the responsibility. Cr. Kent said that he thought that Councillors had gone into the matter thoroughly before getting out the estimates. He asked if it could now shown where they were going to save on these amounts. It had been said that they could save £3,300 in refusing subsidies on work which was necessary. Was it right to refuse subsidies” for necessary work? The path that some Councillors had suggested to save on was the only path that they were making a saving on. He did not know if they did such things in connection with their own business, they would not get on very well. Cr. Neville: No they wouldn t. Cr. MeKane asked if Cr. Neville desired to proceed with his amendment, and if he had a seconder. He had hoped Cr. Neville had something constructive. Cr. R. J. Williams said that he did not see how the proposal of Cr.

Neville had anything to do with Government subsidy. What he would like to see was some proposal to reduce that £7,000 or £B,OOO balance unprovided for by the end of the year. The estimates were adopted on the voices, Crs. Carroll and Neville disserting. The Treasurer’s report was read and adopted. Cr. Carroll asked if the Greymouth rates were the same as last year. The Town Clerk replied in the affirmative, but stated that the hospital rate had gone up £1,300, which meant an addition of ,23d in the £. The Cobden area rates had gone up on account of the loans. On the motion of Crs. McKane and A. H: Paterson, the necessary resolution was passed, giving notice of intintion to strike and levy rates for the financial year ending March 31st, 1938. MEN ON SUBSIDY. When Cr. Kent later moved, at the ordinary meeting, the adoption of the Finance Committee’s report, Cr. Neville moved an amendment that the Engineer be instructed as soon as possible to reduce the number of men under the subsidy scheme, from 45 to 20. This, he said, would mean a saving of approximately £320 to £350 a month, and would mean also that the Council could pick up some of the leeway. It was a pity, but it was not the Council’s job to employ these men, but that of the Government. Cr. Williams seconded. FINANCIAL STATEMENT WANTED. Cr. Blanchfield said that he also wished to move an amendment which was that a comparative statement of the Borough finances be prepared and incorporated in the finance report and published at the next meeting. He had promised when elected to-call for this, so as to give the public an idea of how the Council stood so far as finance went. He therefore took this opportunity of asking that this be done. It seemed that the Council was up against it. Looking through the estimates he attributed the leeway of £B,OOO to recent legislation and the reduction of hours. The interest bill of the Borough was £7,500 annually, and this was very high. He also considered that the unemployment charge should be a national one. The hospital levy was a huge one. He doubted if they would find any other similar hospital in New Zealand imposing such a levy. It appeared that the Borough was carrying the country district on its shoulders. He had in the short time he had been on the Council noted a lot of extravagance round the Council table. He therefore, would move an amendment that the report of the finances be brought down. Cr. Carroll seconded. CAPITAL WORK OUT OF REVENUE. Cr. McKane said the Council was certainly faced with an expenditure of £7,945, which was not provided for but he would ask why were they faced with it? He would say that the reason was that the Council had persisted in fooling away its rveenue that was required for other work in the town, in attempting to do capital works. If they had asked the ratepayers to support one big job, such as the sewerage scheme, the work would be carried out much cheaper. It was, he said, impossible to carry on capital works out of revenue. Until the Council stopped that, they would continue to have still bigger amounts of expenditure unprovided for. They had to go into such capital works ns faced them in the form of a big scheme, and make the people of the future pay, as they would enjoy the comforts that would necessarily be provided. They were all ratepayers, and it was all very-well being sympathetic. Cr. Williams had voted in favour of the estimates being approved at the finance meeting. He could not understand his coming along now and voting against them. There was no reason why they should not have such a thing as an antecedent loan put through in view of their having expended so much on the unemployed. It was astonishing that Cr. Neville had made the proposals he did, as the unemployed, if they were not all ratepayers, were paying rent. Taking this into consideration, he said, they were hurting the unemployed equally as much as they were hurting the people paying rates. He ventured to say that £30,000 to £40,000 of national money had been spent in the town during the past two years, and now another £28,000 was to be spent, but they did not have the patience or generosity to hang on for about four months, and only spend about £1,600 of the £3,300, when, it was hoped, there would be capital works to be carried out in the proper way. It was not fair of Ci. Blanchfield to say that there had been extravagance on the part ot some Councillors, and he would asx him to point out any item in the estimates where there was any extravagance. Cr. Blanchfield said he could point out a case. Cr. McKane said that here they were dealing with an income of £63,000 a year. When £4 or £5 was spent on books for the library. The were accused of extravagance. The position was that there were Councillors criticising the estimates, and they were not competent to tell them how they were going to save. There was only one place to save and that was to cut out the unemployed and have them starve. Cr. Neville: The Government will look after them.

Cr. MeKane said that the Government was doing well and would do even better. He could not see the Council curtailing the unemployed when thev were doing such good work and”with the subsidy from the Government, they were doing work that would not have been possible otherwise in twenty years. He was satisfied that they could not go on in this manner for all time; but it would be false economy now, when they were on the eve of obtaining a subsidy to have men sent elsewhere and a halt called with valuable work. In reply, to Cr. Carroll, the Mayor stated that last year they expended £3,200 on the unemployed,, the average being £6O a week. Cr. Carroll: Now it is £lOO a week, and we have already spent £1,600 of the £3,300 this year. Cr. MeKane said that up to the end of June, the Council had spent £BOO. Cr. Neville: It is £1,200 now. Cr. A. H. Paterson said the position was due to doing capital work out of revenue. The —Council had spent rates in doing work, but in do-’ ing this it had also spent £30,000 of'

Government subsidy. The ratepayers would have to be advised that they would require loans in order to get necessary capital work carried into effect. In view of the subsidy being availed of, some Councillors wanted the Council to slap the Minister in the face in putting off unemployed. To do it would not show a sense of honour. It was a point of honour. They should act in good faith as honourable gentlemen. Cr. Neville asked, in the event of the men being put off, what effect would it have on the work. The Engineer said that there would, of course, be less work done if he had to reduce the men. Cr. Blanchfield asked about his amendment. The Mayor said it could be put later as a motion. The Mayor said that he quite agreed with Crs. McKane and Paterson as to the effect of ceasing to make use of the subsidy, they had obtained in connection with the unemployed, there was no doubt that the Borough was getting more than value for the money it'was spending. In fact- it was getting practically double. There was no doubt that part Of the work should be provided for out of capital, but, temporarily, it was being paid out of revenue. That being so, they were able to account for the amount the Council owed at the beginning of last year as compared to what it owed now. He would point out that although it looked large when £B,OOO was outstanding this year there was £6,000 outstanding last year. They had spent £ ,200 on unemployment where spent £3,200 on unemployment where that accounted for most of the £2.000 increase. The bringing in of the five-day week had had some appreciable effect.. Then there was the increase in the cost of the removal of night soil. There were several necessary increases in expenditure, so that there was really nothing to be concerned about. It was simply that work which was essential was being done out of revenue, instead of perhaps out of capital, but the work was being done. If a loan was raised there would undoubtedly be a considerable reduction in expenditure of revenue. They had loans coming up for decision shortly which were to the advantage of the Borough. To them would be added Government subsidies. The ratepayers had got more than value for the work done by reason of having had subsidies granted. He had not seen any extravagance on the part of the Council. The ratepayers had been benefited by all that had been done. He did not think it advisable to reduce the number of men on unemployment.

In reply to Cr. Carroll, the engineer said that thirty men were engaged in borough works, in addition to the men that were on the Omoto Road. Cr. Carroll: Then if Cr. Neville’s proposal is carried, it would reduce the number of men engaged to five? Cr. McKane: Even Cobden and the Fox Street bridge would have to close down!

Cr. Neville, in reply, said that he did not want to disparage in any way the Minister’s offer of £25,000. Councillors had said that it was a bargain, and that they had just got to carry on. If they carried on, however, the poor old ratepayer was going to have rates that would be unbearable. He regretted that they should have to do this, but they had to do something. Most Councillors must admit they could not carry on as they were doing. He had only done this in order to cut down expenses a bit. Cr. Neville’s motion was put and lost, there being no supporter. Cr. Blanchfield then again asked about his amendment, which had been seconded by Cr. Carroll. Cr. Blanchfield said he desired to have the public see, from a definite statement, the comparative position such -as the overdraft three or four years ago and now. The Town Clerk said that that would be always available. Cr. Kent: It is in the Local Bodies’ Handbook.

Cr. Blanchfield: I have got that'— to my dismay. The Finance Committee’s report was adopted, with the addition of Cr. Blanchfield’s request that the additional information be included in next month’s report. Cr. Harker said he would like Cr. Blanchfield to point out their extravagance. Cr. Blanchfield said ne could do that. He said that the motion he had carried was the first he had oeen successful with, simply because he had been trying to run the pruning knives through extravagance. Books to the value of £6, he saia, had been bought, and it was admitted tnat only one man in the Borough read them. There was also £5O given to the Health Camp, on the casting vote, and he claimed the Council should not have voted such a big amount.

Cr. MeKane: £63 out of a revenue of £63,000, and you call it extravagant? Cr. Carroll: Cr. MeKane is wrong, as £B,OOO of this is unprovided tor. Later in the meeting when proposals in the Works’ Committee were read, Cr. MeKane remarked that another big item of expenditure had cropped up since the previous day and that the Council would also have to do out of revenue. Cr. Williams said that a lot of the work referred to in the report was very necessary. Later, -at the close of the meeting, Cr. Williams said that, in the course of the argument about the unemployed, “his learned friend,” Cr. Patterion, had accused those who voted against the motion, of acting dishonourably; and Cr. MeKane had said that Councils of the past had “fooled money away.” He thought he owed a duty to past Councillors, some of whom had passed the Great Divide, to raise objection to such a statement, and he asked the Mayor to request withdrawal of the remarks. Cr. MeKane said that he did not say previous Councils, but this Council, and he still said that the Council was frittering away money by doing work out of revenue instead of out of capital. He would not retract it and would say .it again. Cr. Williams said he had appar-. ently misunderstood Cr. MeKane. Borough Reports The following reports were submitted to the Borough Council last evening and were adopted:— ' ‘ ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Engineer (Mr. A. J. Fairmaid), reported as follows:— Streets.—Work preparatory to the tar sealing programme of next, season has received the undivided attention of one gang of men during*

the past month. In Tainui Street between Murray Street and the Bridge, a large part of the output from the crusher has been used to bring the eastern side of the street up to the required level, and a considerable quantity is stiil required. In Arney and Swanson Streets the roadways .have been reformed in conformity With the recently constructed concrete kerbing and channelling. Following upon the arrangements made with the Hon. P. C. Webb, Acting Minister for Labour, upon the occasion of his recent visit, a commencement upon the widening of Omoto Road within the Borough Boundary was made on Monday, th< sth. ultimo. The full complement of men is now engaged and satisfactoryprogress is being made. The widening required at the eastern end of the work, adjacent to the State Highway in the Grey County, is practically completed and at Coe’s corner sufficient work has been done to indicate the improvement which will ultimately be effected, a commencement having been made upon the filling to be put in upon the site of the house occupied by Mrs. Sharp, the cutting at the corner providing the filling. It being necessary to make special provision for the water mains between the pumping station and the reservoir, the 8 inch main is to be relaid on a new alignment and the 9 inch main will be relaid approximately upon the previous alignment bu< inside a three feet diameter pipe culvert to be provided at that point... The 9 inch main has already been broken along the portion to be relaid and the pipes are being dispatched to the N.Z. Concrete Pipe Co’s. Works at Gladstone for lining with concrete before being relaid. From the result of this work, and the cost, it will be possible to arriye at a close estimate of the cost of lining the whole of the rising main and of the saving in cost of pumping to the reservoir as a result of the decreased friction head. The concrete kerbing and channelling of Arney Street has been completed, a return along the southern side of the block bounded by Swanson, Arney, Leonard and Boundary Streets being done at the same time, it being complementary t the Arney' Street work. A commencement has now been made upon the concrete kerbing and channelling of the northern side of Buccleugh Street between Shakespeare and High Streets. As part of the improvement of Tainui Street, concrete channelling was put in hand on the eastern side starting at the Murray Street end of the job. As the old kerbing was in parts practically devoid of longitudinal gradient the necessary gradient for the water table has been obtained by varying the height of the channel as compared with the top of the kerb. The illuminated traffic dome which, for a number of years, was fixed upon the intersection of the centre lines of Mackay and Tainui Streets has been removed and replaced by four stainless steel-covered traffic domes, one on the intersection of each building line with the centre line of the streets. The filling over Fox Street culvert has been brought up to the designed road level for a width to permit of pedestrian traffic. Stone for the wing walls to the culvert is being sorted out at the Cobden quarry and the open drains which discharged to the creek on the upstream side of the culvert are being replaced by piped drains discharging on the downstream side. The footbridge formerly upon the site of the above mentioned culvert has been re-erected at the Ward Street crossing of the same Creek. Newcastle Street between Bright Street and Nelson Quay is in course of reformation and the footpath has been formed on the eastern side of the latter street between Newcastle and Cardwell Streets. Preparatory' to forming Hall Street along the frontage of the site of the Government Housing Scheme building site in that street, clearing ' and stumping is in hand. Drainage.—As part of the work ip progress in Tainui Street, three drainage sumps have been put in with necessary sewer connections. One connection was also put in to ob ' viate an undesirably long water table crossing in front of Messrs Brown and Poole’s Motor Garage. A manhole has been constructed on the Cowper Street sewer, between Buccleugh and Franklin Streets, in an excavation made some time ago, and left open, but covered ever where it was necessary to get down on the sewer to clear a bad obstruction. Another manhole has been constructed at the intersection of Kilgour Road and Shakespeare Street, on the intersection of the sewer from Kilgour Road to the western side of Shakespeare Street, and the sewer on the eastern side of that street, sewers funning parallel on each side of this street towards Sawyer’s Creek. These sewers have hitherto been entirely separate, at the point referred to and the work was carried out in an endeavour to alleviate, to some extent, the flooding which, in times of heavy rain, occurs in Alexander Street near the Town Belt North where the sewer on the eastern side of Shakespeare Street commences. Waterworks.—The reservoir has been kept full with an average daily' pump run of 101 hours. As, the nine inch main to the reservoir has been temporarily broken to enable the carrying out of works in connection with the widening of Omoto Road, the head against the pump has been increased as a result of the eight inch main having to carry the whole of the water and the pump run required at present averages about 11 hours. Extensions to the reticulation system on the southern side of the river have, during the past month, comprised the following, namely; Byron Street, Nelson Street southwards to the foot of the hill; Marsden Road from the end of the 3 inch main of the old system to the reticulation laid to serve the Kilgour Estate Subdivision; Lydia and Bridge Streets in the Perotti Estate Subdivision, completing the extension required here to fulfil the requirements of present roading. In Cobden, the 6 inch main has been continued in Bright Street to Hall Street and continued beyond that point as a 4 inch main to the present terminus near Domett Esplanade. General.—The fence along the northern and western boundaries of the stock route from Cobden Bridge to the eastern end of Smith Street, has been erected, and such clearing and track formation as is required, is now in hand. The boiler recently purchased for use at the abattoir has been erected and is in use. A glass house has been erected in, the nursery and is now in use propagating the seedlings required for the planting out season to commence shortly. The western fence of the nursery has been shifted on to a new alignment to enclose needed new land and to improve access to the Borough horse paddock.