COUNTY FINANCE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 11, 15 May 1939, Page 5

COUNTY FINANCE

ESTIMATES CONSIDERED

TREASURER'S REPORT

Mr C. G. Lucas county treasurer, presented his report and the estimates for the coming year to a special meeting of the Whakatane County Council on Friday, when there were present Crs J. G. Cliif M-.'Cul-loch, F. J. Burt, S. Spenee Wardlaw, H. C. MeCready ? J. L. Burnett. W T . A. McCracken, L. W T . Luxton and the clerk and enginec* The chairman presented his report reviewing in general terms the council's operations last year and its policy for the future. This is printed on page 2. He was followed by Mr Lucas, portion of whose report follow?:. Liquid assets (include unpaid rates and outstanding accounts) and cash stand at 10s 4d made up of cash, including dishonoured cheques but less unpresentcd cheques £10, _ 267 18s 8d: collectors' cash in hand, sundry European rates, balance No. 5 wages and balance Main Highways subsidy etc. £">307 14s sd; less liabilities—Harbour rate, interest and sinking fund accrued and oat standing accounts at 31st March 1939 £1550 2s 9d. The improvement indicated is the result of an unexpected increase in the receipt from licenses and the receipt of two unexpected Government grants, amounting to £tlG."> 3s a reduction in the debit of the Main Highways Account fiom £1600 18s 6d to £518 4s lOd, and to an improvement in the Public "Works grant account from a not debit of £703 10s to a net credit of £275 10s 8d Receipts and Payments Receipts and payments for the year were respectively £02,957 10s and £00 150 3s Id. The latter figure includes expenditure of £1020 12s 7d loan money. Rates of £25.548 4s 4d formed 40H per cent of the total. No. 13 wages of £1025 19s Sd, 7Yz per cent, Main Highways; grants (excluding Council's proportion); thirds of £8004 17s 7d. 13 *<2 per cent, pipes and shingle; plant of £7653 4s. 12 per cent, licenses of £4578 7s lid, 7 per cent recoverable expenditure including .ragwort grant of £0113 16s Sd, 10 per cent, sundry of \SSO2 19> lOd, 9Va per cent. There is no marked increased wages expenditure as was evidence.! the previous year. The following are this year's figures: Camp, travelling and telephone allowance £3 >1 lis, wages £10,792 4s 7d, total 15s 7d. The previous year's figures were: £10,705 0s lid including allowances £302 19s lid. Rate Percentage Of last year's rates of £29,3/2 l is 7d the percentage of European and Native payments were respectively 92 per cent and M per cent, the a_ mounts being £25,097 8s 5d (European) and £527 3s lid (Native). 1937-38 Native rate collection was 8.2 per cent. An improvement is evidenced here. The collectiou of European rate arrears was £1 l it) 13s lid (50 per cent) a s against the collection of 08.7 per cent last year. Rates due by the Flax Companies have considerably influenced the collection percentage but as the council was awa,re, in two cases action is being taken to dispose of Flax Company properties by sale under the Rating Act. European rates outstand ing for all years at 31st March amounted to £3117 lis lOd. Native rates in arrcar at the beginning of the year amounted to £15.458 14s 9d (all years) and of this £002 0s 9d has been paid. Accumulated Native arrears at 31st March last were £18,050 12s Sd. The court has now laid down its procedure in respect of the collection of Native rates and the appointment of receivers etc. and lie anticipated that an improvement in the native rate collection, though not a large one, will be evidenced during the coming year. Government Grants Disregarding payments on account of Galatea ratcs ? Government grants and Government funds received a. mountcd to £15,464 9s lid. made up of rate subsidy £1011 8s 7d, ragwort grant £4804 15 S 84. flood damage grant £450, Public Works Department road grants £3013 17s 0d ? Main Highways Board subsidy £4907 Is Id, thirds and fifths —land fund "77 Is Id General Account: The closing General Account credit of £0012' 17s 3d shows an improvement of 1-' Bd. My remark in respect of this improvement are shown in the openiru; .s A -*»tements of th ; s report. The total receint was £38 291 16s 3. 1 The council »• now investiga int' matters in regard to plant. The com cil's evnendit.iiro List year on fue' and oil was £1641 2s 6d. (Continued at foot of next column)

Plant Renewal The council is considering the replacement of plant which has been continuously employed now for several and which is tending to oecome uneconomic having regard to the efficiency of modern an ts. Theiu : s an item of £3000 for plant renewal in the estimates. Road expenditure last year, includ ing expenditure on bridges, was as follows: Main roads £7904 Gs 9d, length of road 128 miles expenditure per mile £<>1; riding roads £000 Is Btl length of road 261 mile?, expenditure per mile £23; Main Highways £3487 5s lOd, length of road ol miles expend, ture per mile £102. The mileage quoted do not include roads such ?s the Murupara-.Waikare_ moan a road <60 WaimanaMatahi road (30 m f les) and State Highways (70 1 2 miles). The expenditure on roads as above including only council's proportion of Main. Highway expenditure £14 672 16s !)d. The general rate stvu ] Vr'.S----39 was £14,043 12s 4d. Additional to the road expenditure detailed, prant and thirds expenditure was f'o37l> 18s 4d. Of this amount £324 7 :is 6d was transferred principally from gen erai account and is included in the main road and riding road expenditure figures above. /■ Grant Account Grant Accounts: This account has: improved from a nett debit of £705 10s to a nett credit of £276 ife Sd. The total expenditure on works was £088.1 14s 3d. This expenditure was; in rosnent of n : ne bridges the principal being Reid's drain bridge, Rnk'iroa. bridge, Newton's bridge, Mc» Cracken bridge and Johnston's.