MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 472, 2 April 1909, Page 7

MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL.

9 .TEAM FAEES DISCUSSED. Tho Miramar Borough Council held its fortnightly meeting last night, when there were present tho'Mayor (Mr. C. J. Crawford), Councillors' M'Leod, Brodie, Witt, Bell, and Cooper. The balance-sheet of the district fund for the year ended MaTch 31, 1909, was presented. It showed,that the receipts amounted to .£8355 4s. 10d., and the expenditure to XSI2O Bs. !)d. The tramway loan account showed an expenditure of J2238 ,10s. 5d., and the street improvement loan account .£19,420 18s. sd. Assets were Shown at ,£36,495 125. Gd., and liabilities at .£251 17s. Id. 'The Bank q£ New Zealand wrote intimating that it would allow the council an overdraft up to to bear interest at six per cent. Tho Mayor explained that as the financial year terminated on March 31 and no further rates would be struck beforo the new council came into-power, tho bank was taking special precautions to secure tho payment of the overdraft. A deputation from the ratepayers of Scatoun waited upon the council in regard to the tramway,fares, which had recently been raised.Mr. M'Lellan, j spokesman of'th? deputation, said lie thought that it was a retrogrado step to- increase the tram faros. Thoy knew that they had tho trams with theui and had to keep them, though they woro not paying. But it was very bad to increase the fares in order to get an increase of revenue. It was the casual travellers on whom they depended for their revenue, and not the permanent residents, and casual travellers would not pay ' lOd. for a return ticket to Seatoun when they i could get out to Island Bay and back for 6d. i Visitors who wished to visit the seaside went ' to the place which thoy could get to cheapest.' , Mr. C. E. Fabian said that they depended jn casual visitors to secure their permanent , residents, but people would not settle at Sea- ] ioun oi'j Miramar if they knew that increased ' tram fares were to be imposed. It would bo ' no use penalising' the footballers, for they j ivould simply go elsewhere. If they raised tho J iares.it would bo found to follow that the re- ( renue would decrease, and an eitra rate would i -hen have to bo levied in addition to tho in- < ireased fares. In answer to tho deputation, the Mayor (Mr. 1 J. Crawford) said ho could give them no i mswer beforo the matter had-been considered, jy the ' council. He outlined' the proposals - vliich had been adopted in regard to raising ' :he. tram fares, and stated that a committee 1 iet up for the purpose had yet to recommend ' vhen tho increased fares should come into force, i tfiramar had risen in a few years from a i nero farm'to/be one of tho most prosperous I jorouglis in New Zealand, and now stood t wclfth.on the list. In explaining the position . 10 said that tho borough council had to pay i ■ates on .£3500, which it had borrowed for tho ramways. Last year the loss on the under- 1 aking amounted to .£2710, and this had to be 1 nado up somehow. If the fares on the council's t isction wore raised to 2d., and they had tho 1 :ame amount of traffic on tho trams, they i vonld mako up of this. At present i heir rating was exceedingly low, only lijd. in i ho .£, but this year an extra rate of id. in tho E would have to be imposed to pay interest J . 11l tho improvements loan account. If they ■aised the tramway fares and got tho extra 1 21500 there would still bo ,£l2lO to mako up, f Hid it was proposed to do this by levying a ' d. in tho J rate. They could not trust to ' akinj? any money from tho general account, \ ind if they paid the wholo deficit from the 1 ■ates it would mean levying Id. in the ,£, in- s itead of Jd. The council did not desire to ( 'aise the fares, and the 'matter had not been i inally considered, as yet. When the subject igain came up they would take into considera- { ion tho representations of tho deputation. ' S'hero wero many things to be considered, and ho matter was not going to be easily settled, i !o far as tho residents wero concerncd, ho was 1 luite sure tho council was dosirous of meeting c hem, and giving them cheap fares, but they , 11 list remember that they were also carrying ( ho of Wellington at a loss. Tho Mira- -i nar section of the tramways was _paying tho , jity Council, but Miramar was losing on it. j After thanking tha council, tho deputation ' vitlidrcw. i