SPECIAL INTERVIEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11059, 10 May 1899, Page 3

SPECIAL INTERVIEWS.

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS IN AUCKLAND. INTERVIEW WITH THE TOWN CLERK. Municipal matters in Auckland have recently been much under discussion, and as town clerk Mr. P. A. Philips, has just left activo duty, and is therefore in a position to freely express his opinions on public questions, a Hehald reporter waited on him the other day and asked him to give his views on municipal matters generally, and especially on the cause of the financial difficulties which the City Council are at present facing. Questioned as to the causo of the City Council financial difficulties Mr. Philips said : In 1883 the City Council resolved to include Ivarangahape, Grafton, and Ponsonby wards in the city, giving the new wards the advantage of a share in the city endowments. In the absorption of these districts nearly £1000 a year must have been saved in salaries. It was found, however, that the greater part of these wards was, comparatively speaking, in a state of nature and large sums wero required for formation works, drainage, etc. A loan was therefore voted in Parliament to the amount of ±,*OO,OOO, of which I think £100,000 was at once raised, and the balance raised at the late of £/0.000 per annum for the next five years. At the instigation of the City Coun- 1 cil provision was made in the Act for suffi-. cient power to levy special rates to pa" 1 ; interest and sinking fund on the loan, bu , this was neutralised by a clause being in sorted, how it is not very clearlv known similar to the first Loans Act of 1879, prr viding that notwithstanding anything to til contrary no higher rate should lie levied i (lie City of Auckland than 2s per £, exclti sive of the library rate. Thus the loan wn raised without proper provision being mad for paying the interest, a state of affair which it is to be presumed arose from tii idea that, the increased rating area wouli recoup the Council sufficiently to en a them to find the interest on the loan. This however, was negatived by the fact tlia these wards needed for urgent works no only the loan money but also amounts full; equal to the revenue raised within their owi districts. The consequences have been tlia the interest and sinking fund required for hi loan have had to be charged against cit l revenues. This was provided for in the Act the provision being to the effect that, am deficiency in rateage might be taken from re venue, and revenue is interpreted as incomi from any source not including (tovernmen subsidy, which. I may say, in passing, wa: at one time £ for £ on the rates, but whiel of late years has melted down to the smal sum of about £450 per annum. As a nature consequence the taking of revenue to pay in terest and sinking fund on a loan has re suited in there being no revenue for necessan city works, and the Council, continuing tr expend money, built Tip an overdraft, noi could they do the works and satisfy the demands of the citizens without doing so. At councillors required to do was to stay tlieii hand, but this, in the face of the enorniou: requirements in a growing city, the extension of buildings, and the pressure brought to bear on members of the Council, could hardly be expected. Why it should lie considered necessary to punish officials for the laches of others in the direction of exceeding their income, is one of those matters which it is difficult to understand, and which may fairly be said to be peculiar to Auckland. The conversation turned next on the water supply, and Mr. Philips commented on the immense sums of money spent on official reports on the water question during his term of office. He staled, however, that nothing could be done with the water question until an Act of Parliament was passed repealing the present limitation, which placed Auckland in the invidious position of not being able to do what the boroughs of Newton. Birkenhead, or Devon port can do. viz.. consult the ratepayers and take a vote fin such a question as this. "As to (lie future of Auckland, Mr. Philips, what is your opinion '!" "I consider that Auckland, having regard to its endowments, has a great future h"- | fore it. Anmncst endowments are 5000 ' acres at the SVaitakerei forests. 2000 acres at . Kauri Point, Domain 200 acres, Albert 1 Turk 13 acres, and Western Park 1] acre*. . The position of Auckland, considering tho<-e endowments, dearly entitles it to take such ' action in the direction of supplying the needs ; of a growing city without casting ton many ; burdens on the ratepayers. Mistakes, no doubt, have been made, as are made everywhere, but they have not arisen from want ; of zeal or desire to promote the best in- ' terests of the city, and it remains for time to show whether the policy of withholding the city's requirements is more conducive to its interests than the policy of the past, There can be no doubt that "in the course of years Auckland will be one of the wealthiest cities in the colony, and it may be fairly questioned whether it is not fair to anticipate and provide for the requirements of the city, leaving it to posterity to pay its fair share of the outlay, seeing that they will be in possession of endowments, realising enormous rentals."