ENORMOUS CITY OVERDRAFT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2201, 14 July 1914, Page 6

ENORMOUS CITY OVERDRAFT

: ON ACCOUNT OF: DELAYED .; VALUATION. . Owing to the new' valuation of the City not yet being completed by the Valuation Department, the finances, of .the City Council, states the Mayor (Mr.. 3, P: Luke); are being seriously inconvenienced;, on account; of the corporation's : officers iiot being in: a position to issue, the rate demands for the current year;j, "Indeed," said t'lie Mayor, to a reporter, "the position is a very' serious' one—not only in the. interests of .the City; j itself, but is a check to the employ'mbirfcio'f people generally.•:, As we stand now,\ we N cannot extend the ordinary . services , and only such work as .is' .absolutely necessary is be-' jng--carried - A large ; amount of .work is* being held back-in .connection .with the Vprks proposed , in City Engineer's estimates—work that will be put into hand as .soon, as the rates revenue" begins to come in, which'cannpt.;be:until next month.; Even fa carry :oh ;'th'e. -necossitous services- of the City '•■we'-have -already piled up an' enormous '/overdraft;.,ah ; d'"that; should not be the case." •' "It would be in the best interests of the. City—indeed, ,of all local bodies hampered -by " delayed valuations—to have^the.Act so amended to provide that in years when new general, valuations' are made local authorities should be given the power to rate on the v'alua- ! tion roll iised during tlnrprevious financial year." :. The, council, . lie - added, would sSonor have rated'on last, year's roll than bo placed in the position it has been by thedehiy which has occurred in getting the new roll out, but'.lie had I consulted the City Solicitor, and Mr. T. F. ■ Martin, solicitor to the Municipal Association, and both liad agreed that [ the Act was very specific in indicating that local bodies had no power to rate on any but the new valuations. The general question would be "brought before the Municipal Conference, -which is -to commence its sittings this morning. . • '