Nassella Board’s Year Ends With Big Surplus

Press, Volume C, Issue 29499, 28 April 1961, Page 3

Nassella Board’s Year Ends With Big Surplus

The North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board ended its financail year on March 31 with a heavy surplus of funds and stocks of unused herbicide. Receipts totalled £86,852, including the credit balance at the beginning of the year of £13,443, and payments amounted to £68.421. Though the credit balance at the bank on March 31 was £8431. the board has £lO.OOO deposited with the National Provident Fund and holds stocks of dalapon valued at £13.650. Secured debtors amount to £3622 and the excess of assets over liabilities is £74,473.

In receipts the board received £7045 as contributions from its constituent counties on which Government subsidies totalling £58.450 were paid. Recoveries from farmers for grubbing work amounted to £7914.

Total expenditure on eradication last year was £30.595 and administration costs amounted to £8632. a total of £39,227. Of this 42 per cent, was spent in the Waipara County, 23 per cent, in Amuri, 16 per cent, in Cheviot, and 19 per cent, in Kowai.

Grubbing costs, less recoveries, were £9478 in Waipara. £4354 in Amuri, £3278 in Cheviot and £661 in Kowal. Kowai. however, received all the herbicide control work, which cost £3llO Wages of Gangs The wages of the grubbing gangs totalled £15.915. but of this £7914 was recovered. To accommodate the men in the gangs cost the board £3917 more than was recovered in accommodation charges. One of the largest items was £2521 for cooks’ wages, which the board has to pay irrespective of ttje size of the gangs being housed.

Capital expenditure totalled £5887, of which the main items were £1528 for extensions to the Waiau hostel. £1152 for land at Amberley, and £2748 for new vehicles. The board now has 14 utility vehicles, and plant and vehicles, less depreciation, are valued at £14.141. The board owns £13,550 in real estate. This is made up of £450. for vacant sections at Amberley where the board proposes to erect its headquarters, £4470 for the Waipara hostel and land, £4250 for the Waiau hostel and land, the balance being made up of two houses and two vacant sections. County Levies The board agreed at its annual meeting yesterday to continue the present scale of county contributions, which last year were £2043 from Amuri. £897 from Cheviot, £791 from Kowai, and £3314 from Waipara. In its draft estimates for the coming year the board expects to spray herbicides

over about 1500 acres at a cost of nearly £27,000. nearly half of which will be met by the value of the stocks of dalapon held in its store at Waipara. Grubbing gangs are expected to cost £25.000 for wages, and accommodation losses are budgeted at £4500.

Three more utility vehicles are to be bought, and a light truck which will cost £5150. A new hostel at Cheviot will cost £ll,OOO, and additions to the hostel at Waipara will take £2OOO.

Total expenditure is estiated at £94,626, and receipts should equal this when added to last year's carryover.