CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 999, 24 April 1891, Page 34

CITY COUNCIL.

REPORT OF FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Committee beg to submit the accordpanying estimates of receipts and expenditure for consideration of the Council. They are as follows : 1. General accounts. 2. Waterworks account. 3. Special rate for interest on city 1m provoments loan. 4. Special rate for Hospital and charitable aid account. The Committee have to offer the following remarks upon the different accounts : 1. General Account. (a) Receipts— These have been carefully considered, and the Committee have no doubt that they will prove as nearly as possible correct. The total amount is only about £250 In excess of last year’s estimate, the increase in the rateable value of the city this year being very small. The isem, rents of reolaimed laud, shows an increase, owing to the letting of some of the sections of land on the new reclamation, and the Committee have a confident expectation that the same will show a much larger increase next year. The remaining items do not differ very greatly from last year, (b) Expenditure.—Certain items under this head are fixed by contract, but the item, •‘street works,” was not settled without a good deal of deliberation. The Committee think that the works most urgently required have been arranged for, including some which have been promised for a long time. A sum of £730 has been put down for extension of Victoria street, which the Committee consider is now urgently needed. The sum named will provide formation 20ft in width and footpath to Tory street, and a footpath from Tory street to Cambridge terrace. The Committee regret that they have been unable to moke any provision for drainage, with the exception of a few smaller works which ore imperative, principally in the nature of replacing old wooden boxes which have become rotten and useless. The item, salaries, shows an increase, as no proportion of it can now be charged to Te Aro Reclamation Account, and further, the Committee have to recommend the following increases, viz :—£so per annum to the City Surveyor, and £25 per annum to the Collector of Rates. The Committee are of opinion that these increases arc well deserved, and have no doubt that the Council will agree to them. It will be seen that the total amount exceeds the estimated receipts by £I2OO, but it will also be seen that a large number of works now urgently required have been provided for; and further, the Committee think that some other works lately done by contract wfll, under the Corporation officials, be done this year in a more efficient and satisfactory manner, although the cost will be somewhat greater. 2. Waterworks Account. —This account starts with a credit balance of £lO9l 3s 4d, thii being the amount of profit made last year, besides clearing off a debit balanoe incurred the year before last. This was brought about by the contemplated increase of storeage not being yet undertaken, and by the sa:e of a large quantity of surplus plant. Allowing for a probable increase in the receipts this year, and keeping the ordinary expenditure as low as possible, the Committee think that the surplus will be sufficiently large to allow of the commencement of the work contemplated at Wainui. They have put down the sum of £6OOO to be expended this year on the work, thus creating a deficiency on the year’s transactions of about £I7OO, which amount will, however, in all probability be more than repaid next year. 3. Rate for Interest on Cty Imfrovements Loan. —The Committee have again asked the Controller and AuditorGeneral to sanction a reduction in this rate, as 5d in the pound will be ample for the requirements of the year. He has replied that he oannot see his way to do this at present, but he offers to submit the question to the consideration of the City Solicitor and another solicitor to be appointed by himself, and if the opinion of these two gentlemen is favourable, he will then sanction the reduction. The Committee, therefore, recommend that this course be adopted, and in the meantime that the half year’s rate be collected at 3d in the £l, the second portion to be 2d in the £ if allowed by the Controller and AuditorGeneral.

4. Charitable Aid Rate. —This will require to be 3d in the pound as last year, the amount assessed upon this Corporation beiDg £3346 6s sd, or about £l3O Icsb than last year. In order to give effect to the above, the Committee now recommend :—l. That the accompanying estimates of receipts and ex. penditure be formally approved by the Council; and 2. That the rates for the current year be as under—(a) General rate, Is in the pound ; (b) water rate as under—s per cent on ratable value of all lands and buildings supplied with water ; 2J on ratable of all lands and buildings not supplied with water, but situate within 100 yards of the waterworks, and 2§ per cent on ratable

value of stores, &c. ; (c) special rate for hospital and charitable aid, 3d in the £. 3. That the salary of the City Surveyor be increased from £350 to £4OO per annum, and the salary of the Collector of Rates from £2OO to £225 per annum. A. W. Brown, Chairman. April 13th, 1891.