ONE TREE HILL BOROUGH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22544, 8 October 1936, Page 16

ONE TREE HILL BOROUGH

FINANCIAL POSITION FEWER WORKS INDICATED • A considerable improvement in the collection of rates was shown in the half-yearly report presented to the One Tree Hill Borough Counoil last night by the town clerk, Mr. A. Leese. Of current rates, 58 per cent had been collected, compared with 53.1 per cent for the corresponding period last year, while the collection of arrears rose from 41.7 per cent to 47.3 per cent. The total collection amounted to £14,591, compared with £13,163. The total receipts for the six months were £22,089, compared with £21,864, while payments totalled £19,550, compared with £18,668. Public works expenditure totalled £8931, or £7508 after the deduction of recoverable wages'on subsidised Works. This is equal to 73.5 per cent of the year's allocation. "As the present wage bill for -street works is £BO a week, no less than £2OBO of the available balance is required for wages, without making allowance for any increases which may be ordered by the Arbitration Court," the report states. "This will leave only £920 for materials and lorry-hire. It will therefore be readily appreciated that the council will not be able to undertake any additional permanent works after completion of the present programme. In fact, very great care will need to be exorcised for the remainder of the year if a deficit is to be avoided. This position has arisen as most of the permanent works carried out under the subsidised wages scheme exceeded the estimated cost, several of them by a very considerable margin." Revenue from licences and miscellaneous sources showed an upward tendency, being £3OO above, the estimate. Receipts for the sale of water were lower owing to the wet summer and the reduced charges to commercial users.

"The position of the borough is particularly good," said the Mayor, Mr. L J. Goldstine, in moving the adoption of the statement. "Revenue is buoyant. A warning note has been struck regarding public works, but early in the year we wanted to keep men on and to avail ourselves of the Government subsidy, so we started earlier than hitherto. The amount of permanent work in the borough is simply astounding, and has been commented on freely." The statement was adopted.