More Money Spent At Ohope Than Rates Brought In, Says Mr H. C. McCready

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 100, 21 November 1947, Page 4

More Money Spent At Ohope Than Rates Brought In, Says Mr H. C. McCready

With the expressed object of forestalling possible criticism that insufficient money had been, spent at Ohope, Mr C. H. McCready produced figures at a public meeting at Ohope on Monday night to show that, in the 3 A years from 1944 to the present time more had been spent in that area than had been collected in rates. . Total rates collected in the Ohope area during that time, he said, had been £2726, at 6§d in the £, and expenditure had totalled £3990 (£514 15/3 in 1944-45/ £1236/0/10 in 1945—46, £1635/11/4 in 1946-47 and £603 17/6 for the expired portion of this year. - * While he insisted that the moneyhad been spent, Mr MeCready said he was prepared to agree that the Ohope people had not had great value for it, but that was a common thing today. He alleged that Government control was holding up many County works, including some at Ohope, and a major problem was the dearth of cement. Government subsidies could be granted, and would have to be used by March 31 of the year in which they were granted; but if the material was not available to do the work, that money could not be used. Personally, he said he considered the rating system a type of robbery./ It was not fair in his opinion to rate property owners for amenities that were used by the whole of the community. However, if the ratepayers were prepared to have their moneyspent, his attitude would be .that they should get value for it. Mr MeCready said to tar seSl the road through the Ohope settlement up to modern standard would cost £6.000 a. mile. He agreed that the dust was a menace and that roading in the area was unsatisfactory but emphasised the cost difficulty. The pegging of the Hospital rate he described as “the old confidence trick.” If the Government had fixed the rate at a sum of money, all would have been well, but it only needed a re-valuation to, put the rate back where it was and beyond. Recent re-valuation in the; Tauranga Borough and County had increased rates 87 A per cent over all, the increase in the County area being nearer 150 per cent.