TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13294, 24 May 1907, Page 6

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

MEETING ON ESTIMATES. Tfau Timara Borough Council held » special meeting last night, to consider th-* estimates for the current year. The Major anil all councillors were present. 'lno Council met earlier in comraitlt-3 on the officers' reports, and held the special meeting afterwards. A copy of the i&timates was supplied to each Councillor showing the estimate under each item made last year, the actual receipt or expenditure, the difference between estimate and actual, and the estimate for the current year. In all there were 106 items to be gone over. Receipts.—The actual receipts last year and the estimates for this year are (the utarest £, shillings and pence omitted): Rents and arrears £6l4 —£650; hotel licenses, £592—£592; by-law fees, £164 £160; auctioneers, £508—£460; dog tax, £79—£75; Government subsidy, £359 (incladta soma arrears)—£27s; bound roads, from Levels Council. £125—£275 (includes £IOO for Wai-iti road); thirds of kerbing and channelling, £215—£300 (much of this now due); scavenging, £624 —£300 (reduced by the work being free from Ist July); refunds, £113—£80; motor car registrations, £2o—£s; general rata (Is) £bl6B (Is 3d) £5125 (further increased by increased valuation); water rate, £2531 £3400; special rate, £3158—£4100; arrears of rates, £1724—^£1752; extra water ;mills, factories, and suburban supplies) £3912—£4071; plumbers' licenses and sale of pipes, £3o—£2o; abattoir, £132 C£1350; £1350; refunds of cost of suburban water connections.. £lO4 —£75; miscellaneous, £s6—£so; contractors"" deposits?, 0; penalties, £l9—£lo; refund from street improvement loan, 0--£795. The total estimate last year was £21.766 10s; actual receipts, £20,593 10s 2d; total estimated receipts this year £23,921 8s lOd. Councillor Ravraond asked why the general rate should be increased from £3OOO to £SCOO. The Mayor said they were going to do; the scavenging free, and part of the increased total was due to the increased valuation.

Expenditure.—Many of the items in the expenditure list were the same as last year, and in these cases but one number is given:— Office.—Mayoral allowance, £100; town clerk and valuer £350, raised to £375; assistant clerk, £165—£178; junior clerk, £io4—£ll7; overseer, £300; sanitary inspector. £150; charwoman, £39; light, fuel, and postages, £4O; stationery, £43—. £4O; Court fees, £5 4s—£lo; sundries, repairs, telephones, etc., £26—£25; Assessment Court £6—£s; printing and advertising, including new by-law, £366 £200; Licensing Court, £24—£25; law «.«>.■ l*', £459-r£luo: election expenses, £l3 — £3o ; insurances, fire, lidelitv and accident. £4C—£s2. Subsadi-s. —Mechanics' Institute, £lO ; Bands, £SO; Sailors' Rest, £5; Technical Classes. £25; Municipal Association, £4— £3 3s: baths, £35; dog collars. £7; town clock, £24—£2o; audit. £2s—£3o; Harbour Board, £1250—£1380; Hospital Board, £498—£498; Talbot Hospital, C—£B4.

Domain curator, two men, extra labour and sundries, £403. Streets.—Labour, £1732—£19C0; horse feed, £179—£185; horses, tools, materials, £570—£450; tar, £339—£300; cartage. £67—£so; metal, £691—£1150; shingle. £l4—£7s; street lighting, £524—£650 ; ehctrical expert, o—£4o; small birds, £3 —£6; rats, £4O; rubbish tip, £52; streeu improvement loan charges, £196—£241: haulage plant labour, £6o—£lGo: coal, etc., £sl—£B6; elevator, o—£7s; kerb and channelling, C—£sCo; water cart, C—£loo.

Fire Brigade, £l3l—£l7o ; do., motor car, o—£6oo. Waterworks—Four men and boy, £542 £554 (boy's pay increased); extra labour on races and mains, £238—£250; pipes, etc.. £1163—£800; tools and materials, £lss £200; cartage, £47— £.SS ; imerest on loan, £4257—£4240. Abattoir. — Slaughtering, £657—£650 : manager, £75; Government inspection fees, £B4; improvements and sundries. £175—£130; interest and sinking fund. £258. Caroline Bay.—Caretaker, £104; shecli and 'sundries, £44 —£150; loan charges. £162. Sanitary.—Scavenging and rubbish removal, £639 —£1000; drainage loans charges, £524; sewer outfalls, C— £SCO; to complete drainage loan works, C—£lßo. Interest on overdraft. £243—£250 : sundry payments, £26—£ls: contractors' deposits, " £160—£100; sundry liabilities. £soo £500; overdraft. £4678. H. Laing. advance and interest, £1023; plans for municipal buildings, £IOO. Some non-recurrent expenditures last year were:—Plans of Timaru, £l2 12s : Crown grant fees, £3 3s; typewriter, £ls 13s 6d; plans of library sites, £1 lis 6d : share of motor by-law cost, £1 18s 4d: S'eddon funeral, £4; Christchureh Exhibi tion, £115.10s; haulage plant and roller. £1531: Battleship Fund loan repaid, with interest, £5lB.

The total estimate of expenditure las! vt-ar was £24,427 15s 9d; the actual expenditure, £26.142 Is 2d; the total tr-ti-mate as presented for this vear was £27,736 16s lid. Councillors Bowker and Raymond suggested cutting down the item for metal un.il the diainage sclume was carried out. as it would be wasteful to put down metal

to tear it up again.—The Mayor said they had a contract and must take the metal at 4000 yards a year.—Councillor Bowker admitted that the metal would be required as fast as the drainis were put down.— Councillor Raymond thought they could do with imperfect streets until tney got the drains down.—Councillor Oborn wished to see the metalling pushed on. Fire Brigade Car.—The Mayor said as the insurance companies were not coming forward with a subsidy the Council should consider the formation of a fire district.— Councillor Bowker said the insurance companies could not, under the terms of their agreement, give a subsidy for such a purpose.—The Mayor recommended keeping the item, and if they did not.form the fire diitrict they must order the car.

Water Pipes.—Councillor Oborn instanced Raymond street as still needing a main instead of an inch pipe. The revenue from water was about half their total receipt*?, and the supply was insufficient for the town; it was time to duplicate the main from the reservoir. The £3OOO a year profit ought to be used to put the works in an efficient state before being used to relieve the rates.—The Mayor said it would cost £IO,COO to duplicate the main from the reservoir, and they had better wait till the loan matured before they undertook that work. They were going to replace the inch pipe by a main.

Caroline Bay.—The Mayor said this item was increased to enlarge the men's shed, and add a shower bath. He suggested farming the care of the shed, a small charge to be made. A request- for addition to the caretaker's cottage was passed by.

Interest on overdraft. —Councillor Bowker proposed to reduce the estimate from £260 to £2OO by taking money on deposit at call at a lower rate. —Councillor Raymond supported this "idea. It would be a- good thing to save £SO a year for the ratepayers.—lhe Mayor doubted whether it woidd be wise to treat the Bank account in that way. They might be asked to pay the deposits at once, and the Bank might not be willing to let them have the money—Councillor Mullin thoughtthat plan might- do' very well when money was plentiful; but it might put them in a difficulty under the circumstances.— Councillors Raymond and Bowker said there was money hawking about town now at 3j per cent., and the Christchurch Citv Council had £40,0C0 on deposit. All the big .traders dealt in that way. The Council was not tied to the Bank, and if one Bank would not agree to the arrangements there were others that would.—The Mayor said the Finance Committee had discussed the proposal, and decided that they had better stick to their present arrangement. Perhaps if they had plenty of money at a low rate they would be careless about the amount of overdraft.—lt was agreed to discuss the proposal further at a future date.

West Belt reserve.—£loo was put down, and Councillor Harney asked for £2OO more.—The Mayor admitted that- it ought to be decently fenced, and Councillor Bowker asked that the much-used footpath across it be made reasonably good. The horses should be removed, however, before the new fence was put up.—Councillor Hawkey proposed a- fence and a belt of trees. The item was raised to £2OO, its expenditure to be decided later.

Sewer Outfalls £soo.—The Mayor said the:-e outfalls would have to be extended to cariy off storm water, apart from the underground drainage. The shingle was banking up lately, and a heavy flood banked up into the lower part of the town would put them in for heavy damages. - Domain.—A request from one -of the workmen for an increase of pay, Iras deferred until the new curator is appointed. —Councillor Bowker proposed that £ls be put. on the estimates for a survey and plan of the Domain. He had an offer from a surveyor to do it for that sum.— Councillor Hawkey proposed to put down £260 more to level the oval and Councillor Sealev seconded. An amendment to add £l5O was lost and the £260 carried, the manner of its expenditure to'be further considered. The Council rose at 10.10 p.m.