The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1907. THE BOROUGH RATES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13294, 24 May 1907, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1907. THE BOROUGH RATES.

The point ■■in the estimates discussed by the Timaru Borough Council last night to which-the public will direct most of their attention will probably be the increase of the general rate, from a, shilling to fifteen pence in the pound. When Mr Craigie first went into the mayoral chair, the general rate stood, if Ave remember rightly, at Is 6d in ; the £, making, with the special rate and the water rate of one shilling each, a total of 3s 6d. As the result of careful financing, or the rapid increase in the rateable value of. property in :he borough, or a combination of both, the rates were reduced to 3s, which the Mayor 'has on more than one occasion described as a desirable limit to the local taxation of the 1 town. We liave net always been sure that the reduction has not been more : apparent than real, or at any rate, property owners have not effected any great saving in their payments to the Council, for the steady increase in the valuations •has gone a good way towards neutralising the: reduction in the amount of the rate. There is no doubt, however, that property lias! grown in value very considerably since /the fate was reduced, and it is therefore obvious that if the valuing kept pace with the ' growth of the market, ratepayers would have had a bigger bill to meet during the last four or five years if the general rate had not been cut down by the

sixpence which came off soon after Mr Crajigie's accession to office. The " argument to the purse" will, of course, make everybody lament the. fact that the Council have no longer found it possible to keep within the 3s limit which the Mayor has so often held up as a sort rf ■ maximum for the town rates, and it is not ,to be expected that the Council have decided upon adding the extra threepence without tho most careful consideration of itheir; position. It would, of course, be I;far more popular, and pleasant to keep taxation down to the lowest possible limit, and we may be sure, from the past policy : of. the Mayor, that only necessity has com- ' pelled him to effect a partial reverse of what he accomplished a few years ago. Without going into details of the statement laid before the Council last night, we may : present its principal features in the following table : ■ ■ ; ■ KECEIPTS. Actual for 1906-7 ... £20,593 10 2 Estimate for 1907-8 ... £23,921 8 2 EXPENDITURE.

Actual, 1906-7 £26,142 11 2 ' Estimate, 1907-8 £27,736 16 11, The revenue for the current year is therefore expected to produce about £3500 more than came in during the previous twelve months, while the expenditure will run into about an extra £IOOO over the preceding year. The bulk, of the extra revenue ,is to be derived from the general rate,which, owing partly to, tne increased valuations and partly to' the additional charge of threepence in the pound, is estimated! to produce this year £5125 as against £3168 .actually collected in the past twelve, months. , The Mayor explained last night that the re-imposition of /the threepence is due to the free scavenging (service which the Council are pledged to provide in consequence of the approval of the underground drainage 'scheme. We imagine, however, that this will only be a temporary arrangement until the drainage loan and the special rate to provide the interest! on it, have been brought into operation. The cost of . the scavenging service will then fall upon the special drainage-rate, instead of upon the general rate, although, of course, that fact will be immaterial to the people who have to pay it. ______