WHANGAREI COUNTY FINANCE.

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1916, Page 2

WHANGAREI COUNTY FINANCE.

THE MONTHLY POSITION,

EMBARGO ON PUBLICATION.

!lifh'r«T' it has been customary •»:■ <■ publish month by month in the - of the "Advocate" the financial status i of the "Whangarei County Council, - showing tho position of each riding - 1 and of Government grants. That practice has now to be discontinued, the \ I Council having so directed at last Fri ' day's meeting, when .-ill flanciai mat tors were dealt with in committee. Subsequently, with a view to defining the position, the chairman gave it a3 his opinion that it was a mistake to I have the financial position made public through the press each month. It was not done anywhere else and he saw no reason why the Whangarei County . Council should provide the exception, j Absolution by thO Council would put the matter on a proper footing and relieve the press representative of any responsibility. He moved that in future the financial statement be not. published. Cr. Mcl,o;ni;>)'. seconded the motion Cr. Renmhau: What about the financial state of the ridings? Are not the ratepayers entitled to know the position? The chairman said that if the ratepayers wanted information it could be given by the respective riding members The engineer said that: the Council had, by the publication of the monthly report, been gi\ en ;i great deal of trouble. Sometimes works were, done 1 for less than the amount of the Government grant, and then there ivor- . awkward inquiries about the sums > shown to ere.lit. There was no other > local body which allowed a monthly i statement to go forth —the annual } balance sheet was all that was necessary and all that was done elsewhere 3 The monthly publication system had been introduced by Mr Hemphill, and was merely a matter of show. In any case, the monthly statement -as now j- drafted was generally wrong. Tt wa* , a clerical re-hash month by month. and was both incorrect and misleading The motion was carried ncm. con. on s the voices.