THE BOROUGH ESTIMATES.

North Otago Times, 7 May 1906, Page 2

THE BOROUGH ESTIMATES.

Tq llio Sir -Your "local in Saturday's issue i!ci|lilis with Hie ilisciission over lha csUn.atcs, and more especially with lue - itmark I made, ■ Ihal ihiil lor iio-licciw sixFence co.lt li.ive to. taWoB-' U. Mies rails',tor notice. Now, Sir,MwWnoluM from cither party i" this maltcr, tor liayc r any desire lo open a discussion on th- ' !'i uor ciicslion. \Vhen; however, the Mayo* Stiitcrl " with satisfaction," as you put il lhiit notwithstanding the loss oi .lavenue from licenses, awl the proposed extr.iorit: ]i \rv : cxpen;li:tiin), tluv cwtiiiialcs wore passed without: ftii Increase iw rales, 1 said it was oalv fnirto givcltlv- other side of the question I thin staH ,U|!|'' the'loss from'licenses .(.CCIiT) ami from rates (£l2-1 would bc.iVV»ut cjiual to' a iij|: pUv. Councillor MAdain i)l 01110 di,. puled inv content ion, ii-h ■ the ■ 10- iS would at iikjsl amount to £l!00, an 1: llm Mayors that- the loss .was cujtljr ibSl.. Fortunately, it. Is casv ■ to gol .it the coirtiit jtnic.unt for licenses, nml the Ipss.on rates can also l»o prct-tv- accural«ly aiiivcd al hv ■: the - .decision- of the • Co irl .in the cases'-' ailjustrd. • Assuiiimir,- llicrefoie, that thosev.pro' crtics—the liot,els-r\v ill ile-•>r.-eJatc in tl:c same: rallo ~(45/per cent.) uc sttive at llu acloal loss byMicliiw that percentage from last \ car's nlcs rat) on tho^Pioneitios/iniler li&nse thus: .fhfiwine a direct loss:, in liccnscjees of-; ifß7 atf! of Utos reduclloi o'

rft va,liT valiiL n? JL2UI, ()i a J totnl_ot iSlit ih "(Llaik nc '-I abl Vear t Kctcmu! i>rdrtr Liccyseb - , 1 \ . > ■" ' r ff*~ d, filocn holds, at £45 i, > '195 0 ut,, ■"I liivfi i oltle' liccnb- , s,'i4o' 120 '(l fr X Ho wiio'tsilj licenses, i2lkv4l) 0_ 0/. S|cc.al ,in I jraihfir \ 112 i 0 . £COB 5 U —Loss of Rates - ' l'levioils Reduced latcs to ~£ -v £ Voitli Otago 29 12 1i 13 12 0 , While Hart „ 2>l 1 1 lb 12 U Imperial 42 0 0 23 18 l) Hteweiy 10 17 4 10? oili I ei li{ lio els 340, 0 0 . Less: 45 per cent,'lS-Tj" 0 -0,, v DilTcrencc—direct loss N , £2Ol Id U —' l'otil Decic.} e mHo enue licenses ' £6OB 5 0 lessll Is this veir £1 r > 0 J _ mi 0 0 lo'sni nbs £2OllO 11 £BGB 10 11 . From -.licenses..and rates alone niv thi; • pre:,cut. valuation this is almost equivalent .to M in llio £ as I stated,-pili il wcta'-c. WJ. per cent, profit on gas consmneil (last vear the • 11 hotels : : paid over£dso net for gas), and we mav laii'lv assume this will lie reduced very consider?■ ii'ily when the hotels. arc iloscd, we have the difference. In closmp l express no opinion on tlia wisdom or otherwise of the. . no.-liccns". vote. What I am concerned aldat. is that,notwithstanding rthp" higher; .\»lualions and increased revenua; from tha other sources our rates still tep{i iip" to 4s inlhc£-I ?m etc WILLIAM WADDELI-