NAPIER MUNICIPAL BATHS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 257, 13 October 1932, Page 10

NAPIER MUNICIPAL BATHS

COSTS AND REVENT7B The suggestion to the Napier map. misSioners that the borough charges fir the Municipal Baths should, in tbe interests of sport and sporting fixtures, be reduced, has resulted in the following statement being made by Mr J.B, Barton, Chief Commissioner:— “This claim affords an excellent example of what has been to date tSe current attitude towards public service*. “The commissioners qre watching the finance of the baths very carefully. All expenditure is closely scrutinised and citizens can rest assured thslt there is no avoidable expenditure. The position is that the maintenance expenses of the baths for the year 1931-82 are estimated at £lOO5 and as most of this represents fixed charges, this estimate will prove to be very eloce to the actual figures. In *lditibn, there is interest on the loan raised to construct the baths, 4) per cent on £6900. This amounts to £297. This makes the total cost for the maintenance of this public service for the year £1.302. The receipts are estimated at £590. There is, therefore, £712, or rather more than £l3 a week, to be made up from some source. “The position is therefore that users of this public service, on - present scales of charges, are enjoying it for less than half the cost to the borough, and the remaining half has to be borne by rates. Whilst it is true that in such a public service the strictly commercial point of view should not bo obtruded, it is also true that the administrators of the borough iu this, as in all other similar services, have continually to resist pressure that tends to increase the expenditure and reduce the revenue. This tendency must be resisted in so far as it would tend to increase the ratepayers’ share of the cost of providing the baths, especially in view of the fact that the ratepayers have had to provide £854, J>. the cost of reconstruction of earthquake A 1 damage at the baths. “The commissioners suggest that citizens generally, and users of the baths in particular, should study the above figures and make them an object lesson for the encouragement of fue new spirit which must come into our attitude towards the provision of public eerviecs. ”