NET INCREASE OF .5d IN BAY COUNTY RATES

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1949, Page 9

NET INCREASE OF .5 d IN BAY COUNTY RATES

KAWAKAWA, Thu. (Sp.).—A net increase of £d will be effected in the total rates levied by the Bay of Islands County Council in 1949-50.

The council yesterday formally decided to strike a total rate over the whole county of 9£d. Last year’s figure was B£d. The whole amount of the increase cdmes from the hospital rate, which has had to be raised from Ifd to 2j|d to meet the increase in the levy from £5441 to £6994.

The harbour rate has Deen increased from 3d to Id this year.

general rate.

It would be a bad thing if local control of the roads should be lost.

However, by judicious building up of small credits in the past, it has now been found possible to .reduce the special rates for bridges and for loan conversions by jd.

The chairman remarked that the sooner local- contrpl went, perhaps tha better.

The. county chairman (Cr H. T. Atkinson) gave it as. his opinion that the ratepayer was now paying not only all that he could reasonably be asked to pay but all that he could afford to pay Cr J. Hay questioned whether the council could afford to leave the roads in their present state. He wondered whether it would riot be wiser to face Vtp to the situation by; increasing the

It might be very salutary if the roads were 'taken out of county control for a little while. They would come back soon enough.

Cr Hay did not specify any increase but it was apparent, as he said himself, that his was the cry of "a lone wolf,” •-

When the chairman put the motion, formally proposed by Cr C. F. Jones on the arrangement outlined above, no dissentient voice was. Raised,