GREY RATES

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1944, Page 8

GREY RATES

COUNTY COUNCIL’/ DECISIONS A decision to levy a general rate of 3d in the pound on the rateable value of all property in the Grey County, an increase of id on the rate levied for the oast two years, was made by the Grey County Council at a special meeting on Thursday. The general rate was previously 3d in the pound for many years. Special lighting rates of 3d in the pound in Blackball and l-5d in the pound in the South Riding (South Beach) spec al aistr.ct, similar to those levied last year were also decided on. The following revised estimates were placed before the Council: • Expenditure: Main highways, £lO,038; County roads £9235; Government grands £6737; works general £1900; machinery petrol £1750; machinery maintenance and plant £1500; employment scheme £4280; Hospital levy £4464; interest and sinking fund £193; heavy traffic apportionment £1500; salaries £1500; general expenditure £3900. —Total £46,997. Sums available: Cash in hand and at bank £2862, subsidy on rates £500; vehicle licenses £3750; sundry licenses £400; royalties .and rents £200; sales material and hire £300; compensation refunds £150: State forests £2950; “halves” and “thirds” £600; goldfields £3500; employment scheme refunds £3566.: Main Highways refunds £6695; Government grants £5143; hire account £5000; sundry £856. —Total £36,475. Additional sum required £10.522.—£46,997. Cr J. W. Hannan, on whose motion these estimates were approved, said that the original estimates of expenditure had been prunded considerably. Goldfields revenue, which a couple of years ago brought in £5OOO had dropped £l5OO and the hospital rate had* increased by £6OO. No subsidies on flood damage expenditure such as had previously been granted, had been received, and it seemed extraordinary that the Council should be penalised because it had adopted the practice of doing its work out of revenue instead of raisin? loans. The cutting down of the estimates was necessitated practically by the fact that the County got no subsidy on flood damage .and no rates from Blackball. In the light of what was done by the Government- when it took over the Dobson and W.allsend mines it seemed that the Council would rave a good case in regard to Blackball. GREYMOUTH BOROUGH The consolidated rate for Cobden and Greymouth combined is levied to produce th’s year £24,052, whereas last year it was levied to produce £23,967, an increase of £B5 accounted for by the rate on the new cemetery loan. The Cobden rates will be slightly increased by the security rate over the special area of Cobden to meet the annual charges on the Cobden Sewerage Loan. This will amount to £ll6 14s 7d. The hospital rate for the combined area has been increased this year by £1428 to £10,737 12s. The general rate on the basis of the unimproved value of the Greymouth area will produce £12,201 10s 2d. The water rate over the combined area will produce approximately £3OOO. A separate pan closet rate of £1 10s per service will produce approximately £950. The general rate on the basis of the unimproved value over the Cobden area will produce £llO3 Ils 7d. All spec.al rates on the un’moroved value to meet interest and sinking fund charges on loans, with the exception of the Cobden Sewerage Lo.an, which is rated over a special rating area of Cobden will produce the sum of £10,748 4s.