CITY FINANCES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2437, 16 April 1915, Page 6

CITY FINANCES

ANNUAL REPORT "VERY SATISFACTORY," SAYS THE MAYOR An interesting statement covering the finances of the city for the year ended March 31, 1915, was presented to the City Council last niglit. Receipts amounted io the sum of £242,829 17s. Gd., and the credit balance was down at £476 10s. Chief items under the heading of receipts were arrears of rates, £4971; current rates, £162,848; rents from reclaimed lands, £28,537; market reserve, £1693; total from rents, £37,299; licenses, £6388; building fees, £100S; water by meter, £15,551; water repayments, £1062; baths, £606; Town Hall, let-tings, £1498; recitals and concerts, £252; libraries, £875; fisli market, £2707; cemetery, £190o; crematorium, £71; public lavatories, £579; fees from reserves, £600; fees from Zoo, £1058; summonses paid, £89; Fire Brigade payments, £574; miscellaneous, £1533; Wellington Gas Co., annual payment, £459; Sinking Fund Commissioners, £200; total, £242,829 17s. 6d.

The expenditure came to £242,353 7s. 6d., the principal items being street works, £40,465; scavenging and street watering, £9758; collection and destruction of refuse, £7529; Town" Hall, current expenses, £1420j expenses of recitals, £560; interest on Town Hall loans, £3238; Fire Brigade .(including interest), £7229; waterworks, £42,700, including £22,319 for interest; street lighting, £9078; city reserves, £7623; salaries, £8447; baths, £650; publio lavatories and bathingsheds, £1467; libraries, £4214; sanitary services, £il31; ccmererv, ; crematorium, £21; fish market, £2356; forestry, £2826; Hospital and Charitable Aid instalments, £13,027; expenditure on Zoo, £2499; cost of summonses, £254; dogs' collars and food, £301; motor workshop, £420; Technical School, £300; printing, .advertising and stationery, £1278; subsidy to city bands, £150; accident claims, £289; street . traffic control, £500; miscellaneous, including polling, office - expenses, legal, insurance, and sundry, £8594; interest on loans, £43,209 • sinking fund, £8290; refund to Tramway Department, Wadestown rates, £1659; credit balance, £476. Speolal Receipts. Balance from ordinary receipts and expenditure aocount, £476 10s.; deposits from contractors and plumbers, £4900 10s.; deposits under 11.C. Act, 1908, £60,837 lis. 6d.; repayments for private drainage, £18 3s. fid.; reserves Central Park (Carnival Committee), £1133 12s. lid.; reserves Day's Bay on account purchase £3701 6s. lid. and miscellaneous £756 9s. 0d.—£4457 16s. 4d.; street widening, laud sales, £1008 lis. 5d.; paid purchase money and interest (Gualter, Dykes, and Co.), £305; temporary loan repaid (electric lighting department), £10,000—£82,861 ss. 7d. Balance (being excess of expenditure over receipts), £7317 15s. ; total, £90,'455 10s. 9d. Speolal Expenditure. Deposits returned, contractore • and plumbers, £4733 16s. 7d.; deposits returned under the M.C. Act, 1908, £53,629 Is. Ild.; outlying '. districts drainage, £4368 6s. Ild.; Kilbirnie li-ecreation Ground, £2391 55.; forming Lyall Bay Reserve, £366 os. 7d.; reserves, Central, Park, £2390 17s. Bd.; reserves Day's Bay purchase £14,000 and miscellaneous £1360 19s. 11(1.— £15,360 19s. lid; land purchased (Bourke), £570 18s.; land purchased (Breen), £620; land purchased (Evans Bay), £200; land purchased (Duncan and Morrah), £35; Forestry (gorse grubbing), £1637 14s. 2d.; drainage, engine, and bed, £3300; public conveniences, erected, £848 ,ss; total, £90,455 10s. 9d.

Bank. balances on revenue accounts for the year ended March 31* 1915:— Dr. Cr. .£ £ Abattoir Account — 320 Jfilectric Lighting Account ; 10,731 General Accident Fund — 4,183 Tramways and Lighting Accident Fund Account ' — ' 10,651 District Fund Account 49,588 — Tramways Account ... 4,116 — 47,704 25,890 Net overdraft ...- . — \ 21,814 £47,704 '' £47,704 The Mayor stated that the expenditure had increased to a certain,extent. The work of the different departments had been well maintained, and tho work iff tho Oity Engineer's department had been satisfactory. Ho believed with the incoming year, -with greater- expenditure on the streets, there would be improved conditions which Mr. Morton and the council desired to bring about. He drew special attention to tho debit balance to ihe council over the Day'B Bay purchase, but pointed out that there was a sum of £3000 duo from tho Government which, if the council accepted, he believed there would' bp nothing to present a full control of the estate by the council. Ho dealt, briefly with the other spccial expenditure, and said that the electric lighting undertaking, the figures of which have already beeu published, had proved very satisfactory, and had great possibilities. In the future it could well be considered whether a reduction could not be made to the'consumers. Altogether, he felt that the council had come through a very trying year in a, manner whicli was satisfactory to the community, and reflected credit to the councillors and officer#

Councillor J. Fuller criticised the report as far as overdraft was concerned,and questioned the Mayor as to outstanding rates. He also thought councillors should, have had more opportunity to go into the report, and see where there had been increases on last year. The Mayor stated that the year was started witli £8000 over rates outstanding; and as the rate notices wero late in being sent out, the amount outstanding now was £12,000. Councillor M. Luckie thought that according to the statement apparently the sum of £3500 was more than two years old, and they would lose them. Tho Mayor: It doesn't mean that the same people are in arrears. Councillor Luckie also regretted that •the copy of the finances had not been made available earlier, to allow the councillors to study it. Councillor W. H. P. Barber s'aid that if the report was correct, it must mean "that over £3500 of the rates were over two years old Councillor R. A. "Wright: Those old rates have been sued for, and fliey are not. lost to file council. . Tho report was adopted. Bcjiorts, which have been published, covering tramway and electric lighting finances, wore also received.