MUNICIPAL ECONOMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20827, 20 March 1931, Page 10

MUNICIPAL ECONOMY.

There will be no perceptible thrill of enthusiasm among ratepayers over the economy proposals presented to last evening's meeting of the City Council. The campaign to effect a substantial reduction in expenditure in order to ease the burden of local taxation is proceeding very deliberately. Six weeks ago, a sub-committee presented a report in which it acknowledged the need for economy, but pointed out that after provision for fixed charges and for levies by other authorities —of which the latter should be reducible by them—the council was directly responsible for the expenditure of only £481,000 out of a budget totalling £1,084,850. On its recommendation, the council instructed its departmental officers to report upon the possibilities of reducing expenditure. The combined result of their efforts has been the discovery of savings amounting to about £12,500, which is nominally equivalent to a reduction of about one penny in the city rates. The bulk of this amount, however, is represented by the proposed saving of £9OOO in the waterworks department, which would not relieve the rates but contribute toward the reduction of the deficit in the water account. In the last three years, the council's expenditure has increased by about £150,000, and even if it has direct control of only £481,000, ratepayers will not be satisfied with economy limited to 2£ per cent, of that figure. The need for a thorough overhaul is emphasised not only by tho obvious necessity of relieving the demands on ratepayers, ty.it also by the equally obvious certainty that the council will not bo able to maintain its revenues, even at the present rate of taxation, since rentals are falling and claims for exemption on account of vacancies will be heavy. The present council is approaching the end of its term and apparently prefers to leave a difficult task to its successor. Such negligence and procrastination are unfortunately characteristic of the municipal administration and, when the opportunity offers presently, ratepayers should take special pains' to ensure that the new council will contain at least a majority of members with better equipment of energy, initiative and determination, who will undertake to arrest the drift in municipal government and to establish a regime of sound businesslike methods in the conduct of the city's affairs.