King Country Chronicle. Thursday, May 14, 1936. COUNTY COUNCIL FINANCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4845, 14 May 1936, Page 4

King Country Chronicle. Thursday, May 14, 1936. COUNTY COUNCIL FINANCE.

The sound position disclosed at the meeting of the Waitomo County Council at its meeting on Friday will be received with satisfaction throughout the County's area. The surplus shown over the year's working of £4476 is a large sum, and the criticism might be made that the Council should have either spent more money on the roads, which it is admitted will require more money "for maintenance in the future, or have reduced the rates. The excellent percentage of European rates collected and the increase in miscellaneous and general receipts could, however, only be partly foreseen, and remembering that it is only a few years since the finances of the Council were in straitened circumstances the policy has been to play safe and at the same time to keep the rate as low as possible. To this end both office and outside expenses had been cut, and the Council has, to protect the settler who willingly meets his rates, done its utmost to collect from all who are in a position to pay. The success of its efforts are seen in the record rate collection of 84 per cent, from the European rateable land within the County—a very large proportion when it is realised that 70 per cent, of the occupied lands within the County are mortgaged to the Crown, which do not assume liability for rates as does a private mortgagee. About one-sixth of the rates struck in the County are native rates, and the negligible total of .05 per cent, of them was collected from the natives, though a grant paid by the Government brought the gross collections to 10.7 per cent. No doubt the Council has been assisted in recent years by the 20 per cent, reduction in interest rates, but it is to be commended on the steady progress made. The chairman was justified in referring to last year as one of the best in the history of the Council. Victory over the depression has, however, only been gained at the price of economy, and it appears to be generally agreed that more maintenance moneys will be spent on the roads and bridges; the latter, particularly in the Aria and Tangitu Ridings, will involve heavy commitments. On the top of this is the fact that wages and general expenses are likely to rise, making work more expensive to carry out. The policy of the Government as it affects County Councils seems yet in the melting pot, but if the 50-50 basis of subsidising County Councils as proposed by the Minister of Public Works in his statement read at Friday's meeting is put into force, Waitomo County will be very hard hit. Much road metalling has been done in the last few years, and the grants from the Government, which realised that such counties were worthy of greater consideration, have ranged from free upwards—and on a much more equitable basis than 50-50. The County Council and its staff, however, have to be congratulated on the satisfactory position disclosed; also the ratepayers, who have demonstrated that with improved conditions they are anxious to meet their obligations.