“A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT.”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 17 December 1925, Page 9

“A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT.”

FOR WAIMATE COUNTY,

BUT “NO-INCENTIVE TO THRIFT.”

On October Stli tho Waimato County Council wrote to the Minister of Public Works (_tion. J. G. Coates) requesting that, arrangements be made lor the engineer , at Ohl-isiehurch to coaler Witn the County engineer and. inspect Hood 'damage 10 various roads with a view to Government assistance being granted towards. the cost of restoration. At Tuesday’s meeting of tho Council tho following reply was read from the Minister:—

‘‘l have to advise that an inspection was duly made by the resident engineer, and his report indicates that tho cost of repairing the damage caused by the September Hood will amount to Tl.'3OU. Ton are probably aware that the question of whether or not Government assistance is granted .for the repair of HoorTdamage depends entirely on the ability of the local body to Hnance t-lie work from its own funds, and tho applications received by my Department dining recent 3'ears render it increasingly necessary to, restrict authorisation of Hood damage assistance to only those eases in which it is quite apparent that tho cost of restoration is beyond the local body’s resources. The Hnances of your Council have, therefore, been carefully considered, and the investigations made by 1113' Department, indicate that the\ r are in a particularly sound position. The County is highly developed, the majority of .ts roads being already metalled, its loan indebtedness is particularly small, and the rating cannot be considered as other than, i low, being £3 17s per £IOOO of capital j value, whereas the average for all ] Counties in New Zealand is £5 14s per | £IOOO capital value. I am, therefore, ] forced to the conclusion that Govern- 1 ment assistance towards the cost of repairing this flood damage is not just-i- ' lied, and it is regretted that a favour- j able rephv cannot bo given to your let- I ter of October S. Your Council rna3 r , however, contend that difficulty arises in the fact that sufficient funds are not actually at present available to enable it io attend to the work itself. If so 1 would refer 3’ou to ,he provisions of , Section 7 of the Local Bodies’ Finance | Act of 1921-22, whereby local authori- j ties nia3’, with the consent of the Min- j ister of Internal Affairs and without i first of all obtaining the approval of : tho ratepayers, raise a loan for urgent ' work of this nature. Action under this statutory provision would appear to bo the best way of dealing with tho position should the Council not have sufficient monies immediately available and tho increased rating consequent on the ! raising of such a special Joan would, on account of the present low rating, apparently impose no undue hardship on the ratepa.,vers. ” The chairman (Mr 11. B. S. Johnstone) : “A good advertisement for the Waimate County Council, but not an . incentive to thrift.” The letter was received.