HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 482, 15 April 1909, Page 3

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

(FROM onn SPECIAL RErOIITEE.) * , .PETONE BOROUGH FINANCE. The Mayor of Petono (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) spoko briefly at tho council meeting last evening of tho financial position of the borough, as shown in the statement prepared by the town clerk. The general account showed a debit of £3578, as against ,£4443 at the beginning of the year. Ha would explain oil another occasion how the debit had been reduced. Tho total receipts amounted to £9003 2s. lid., and the expenditure (including tho debit of .£4413) was .£I2,GIG 3s. Gd. In regard to the item for maintenance and repairing of roads, the estihad been .£2313, whereas the actual expenditure was ,£2:!,S(i. This small increase was accounted for by the .fact that one half of Mr. Gougli's wages had been included in this account, one half being paid out of the gas working account. The figures proved that the officers in charge of this department had kept tho estimate in mind. The sanitary account showed the receipts to have been:—For fees and other charges .£1240, plus .CSS3, which had been taken from the general account in order to balanco tho sanitary account. Tho auditor would not allow any balance, either credit or debit, to be shown in tho sanitary account. The expenditure estimated at the beginning of the year had been <£1835, and the actual expenditure had been JCI7OG. Thus," they had kept well within tho estimate, and it should be mentioned that a wagon (to cost MO), provided for m tho estimates, had only been authorised at tho last meeting of the council. In tho waterworks maintenance account, tho receipts amounted to .£1724 15s. 10d., and the expenditure had been £1845, leaving a debit balance of £124 ss. 6d. Tho actual debit balance on the year's work, however, would be =£45 18s. 4d. less, because this amount had been in debit at tho commencement of tho year. Tho increase in the debit balance had been caused by items for which no estimate had been made. Law costs in connection with tho septic tank and the Catchment Area Bill, which passed through tho House in 1507, had run into £111 9s. 9d. Theso expenses had not been fully estimated for, and they more than accounted for the increase of about £S0 in the debit, balance. Turning to the gas working account, he wished to say that the whole position of the gasworks had been carefully gono into, but the question of depreciation, etc., required further consideration. He would not speak of the financial position of the gasworks, beyond remarking that they had been run on satisfactory lines, and the figures, when placed before the council, would show a gratifying result on the year s operations. The expenditure on tho eastern drainage works and on the extension of the Nelson' Street culvert, paid out of the district fund account, would mako it necessary to draw upon the loan approved of by the ratepayers for tho purpose. This would need to be arranged tor early m tho year; there was no urgency nt present as long as they had a credit balance in the district fund account at tho bank, but no thought it would not bo wise to allow that account to get too far in debt before thev raised the loan authorised. .There was an item of £162, licensing exantl 1,0 wished to point out that about .£IOO or £110 of that would be recoverable from tho other local bodies in the district— Hutt County Council, Hutt Borough Council, Upper Hutt I own Beard, and Eastbourno Borough Council., Tho borough was in practically the samo position financially as when the present council were elected to officq two years ago. The council had not increased the debt of the borough beyond the small amounts which the ratepayers had authorised by wav of loans. The overdraft was practically unchanged, and tho council could congratulate themselves upon such a satisfactory result. They had heard of other local bodies having "outrun tho constable," but no ono could reasonably say that Petono Borough Council had spent moro than they were justified in spending, in view of the condition of tho placo and the ability of tho residents to pay the rates needed for the benefit of tho borough. Tho town clerk had wiped tho slato clean as far as rates wero concerned, and it was especially gratifying to note that the Native rates always a source of trouble, had been got in' Ho considered that Petono was among the lowest rated boroughs in the Dominion. On the morning following the celebration of her golden wedding at Sclslny Hill, near Stroud, Sirs. Henry Hogg died from heart Failure.