WAIMATE COUNTY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21182, 1 November 1938, Page 4

WAIMATE COUNTY

Financial Position Problem of Rising Costs WAIMATE, October 31. “The finances of the Council are going along quite satisfactorily,” commented the chairman iMr J. Bitchener) at the meeting of the Waimate County Council yesterday, when the financial statement for the six months to September 30 were placed before the councillors. Mr Bitchener said that it was noticeable that all items of cost had gone up. A major item of expense, road metalling, while at a figure comparable to that of last year, represented a much greater amount of metal as a result of the economies of the county crusher. “There are things in the running of the county which will have to be taken into consideration to preserve our assets as well as we plsslbly can,” Mr Bitchener continued. The engineer was considering a method of turning out metal even more cheaply than at present. The proposal might involve capital expenditure, but it would be a way of reducing costs. Mr Bitchener referred to the engineers report that another grader was necessary adequately to cope with the county roads and said that next year the council would have to go into the question of replacing its motor trucks. The financial statement showed that receipts lor the six months amounted to £16,621 against an estimate of £62,421 to March 31, 1939, and £14,497 received for the corresponding period last year. Payments, exclusive of Hospital Board levy amounted to £20,022/19/6 as compared with £28,490 to the same date in 1937.

Cr. N. A. Rattray: What must strike us all is the increase in practically every item of expenditure and it gives rise to a fear as to how we are going to operate on the same basis in the future. In many cases also there has been a lessening of revenue. Cr A. N.. Hayes said only a progress report had been submitted and many of the items would not be as high as they appeared at the moment. Cr Rattray: I quite appreciate that. The report was approved.