THE NEW RATES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 220, 11 June 1920, Page 8

THE NEW RATES

ANOTHER £24,400 TO BE GARNERED

COMMENT ON CITY STREETS

ALARMING GROWTH OF CIVIC EXPENDITURE . The chief topic for consideration at last evening's meeting of the City Council was the striking' of tho new rates, a hint of which procedure toad already been given citizens. The rate proposal came down in tha Finance Committee's report, which set out the following new scliedulo of rates;— ON UNIMPROVED VALUE. Producing. £ General, 3d. 146,607 City Improvements Loan, 15-200(1. 2,920 Sanitation Loan, No 1, 49-200 d. ' 9,705 Sanitation Loan, No. 2. 7-200 d. I.HSG Consolidation Loan, 20-200 d 3,910 Library, 17-200 d 4,150 Mo'.roso Improvements Loan, 63-aOOd 1,883 Outlying districts' drainage, 160-200 d 6,040 ON ANNUAL VALUE. Water rate, 2 J per cent 29,300 Hospital & charitable aid, 61 per cent 35,513 Total £241,644 Onslow special rates: Works Loan, 48-200 d 4-13 Catchment Area, No. 1, 51-200 d. 228 Catohment Area. -No. 2, 21-200 d. 92 Public Hall, Khandallah, 48-200 d. 95 Koiwarra drainago, C6-200d 47 Total £905 Karori special rates: Tunnel and road improvements, 16-200 d 163 Tunnel and road improvements, No. 2, 8-2flod 81 Tunnel and road improvements, No. 3, 9-200 d D 1 Road-widening and purchase of ' Recreation Ground, 132-200 d.... 1,348 Completion of road-widening, SB-200d 387 Recreation Eeservo improvements, 21-'2ood 127 Total £2.197 In urging the council to pass the new rates thero and then, the. Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stated that he favoured striking a 3d. general rate (as ngninst 2id. Inst year), which would produce an extra £24,400, and in pointing out various increases, in expenditure, remarked ofi the large increases in wages and salaries which the council had to meet, and also referred to the increase in the Hospital nnd Chnritable Aid rate, which had risen from <£28.000 to £35.513. It might be tlmt some of the councillors would see reason to object to passing the rate without the estimates beforo them for general services, but ho assured tho council that with the work wkich tho engineer had tn do during tho last few weeks it was absolutely impossible for him to devote tho time necessary to that work. He (the engineer) had bwrn actively engaged in questions concerning wages and salaries, | nnd the many awards that concerned the council. Councillors would Imvo tho opportunity of Tovievrinsr tho estimates when they were prepared—ho had no wish to embarrass tho council—but ho would tiko to see the rates struck so that tho City Treasurer could get out the rate notices as early as possible. He asked tho council to accept last year's expenditure as a guide a= to what would be needed this year. For instance, last year they had expended £50,900 on roads, and the amount needed this year could not do less than that, 'and it would possibly be more. Whatever was done, he appealed to the council not to attack the ordinary services .of the city—street works, drainage, scavenging, Fire Brigade, etc. The situation as regards the work upon the City Engineer was getting quite unbearable. It included such big works as . the tramways, lightihg, and milk business, all commercial concerns, which helped very largely to monopolise the time of the superior officers of the council, nnd unless tliey strengthened that department it would be worse in the future. They ought to realise that tho men responsible for carrying on these big undertakings wero only flesh and blood, and with the number of committees and meetings to attend to it was not surprising if'they' could not get everything on the spur of tho moment. If there was any delay in striking tho rate they would not be able to get tho demands out for some time, and the two sums would have to ]>e'demanded close to one another, and tho people would feel the burden more acutely. . Councillor Luckio said that councillors had not the estimates for tho current year before tliem—all they had were the receipts' and expenditure for last year. Yet the Mayor proposed to strike a general rate of 3d. The Mayor said he had already explained what tho ktra money was needed for. Councillor T. Forsyth said that the Mayor was simply following tho precedent of last year, which lie had object, ed to—asking them to pass the rates without seeing the proposed schedule of works they were to cover. That was no good to him or the other councillors who were not members of the Finance Committee. He had not had the paper (new . rates) put ii'Jio his lands until 5.30 that night, and it was far too serious a matter to pass the rates in the manner proposed. When he objected last year he had been told that he was "out of coup!" and the same thing was being done this year, He was going to oppose it strongly. Thero had been £50,000 on tho estimates for street works, and it was impossible to say where such a sum had been spent, as the streets were sadly neglected, probably' for the, want of material, men. and tar. Thero were many thousands on the estimates for work which had never been accomplished. Ho thought it was very unbusinesslike to bring down the rates without ithe estimates. The Mayor said he wanted to appeal to councillors. It had been absolutely impossible for the engineer to get the estimates down. After they struck the rate Councillors would have a chanco to adjust the estimates. Councillor i'orsyth said tho council could not honestly agree'to put 20 per cent, on the rates, without having a list of the works they were to cover. How could they strike rates without knowing what they were going to spend them on? The council had promised to improve tha road by tho milk station five years ago, and when he asked last year anout it it was to be dono in a few weeks. It had not bacii touched. Then there, was.Parish- Street, which would be a disgrace to a back-blocks town, and the awful statn of Wakefield Street. v , Tho only merit of Councillor Forsyth s remarks, said the Mayor, was his reference to street works, Councillor Forsyth: Exactly! . Continuing, the Mayor said if councillors passed the rates they could go into tho estimates later on and say what streets tli'e money should be spent on. Councillor Forsyth said he did not. wish to voto for anything he was in tho dark about. Councillor J. Glover said that he did not believe any councillor was satisfied with the streets. Councillor Wright said that if they were going to improve all tho streets it would take an enormous amount of money. The only way was to strike a rato without unduly weighing on tho ratepavers. He also remarked that waged and salaries had gone up in every direction. Councillor G. Frost said Uint wages nnd salaries had gone up 30 per cent. Practically no new works hnd boon dono during tho year, but ho did not seo that any ijood could bo done in postponing tho striking of tho rates. Councillor L. M'Kenzie said it seemed impossible to carry out (lie works according to schedule. Sinco 191-1 the general rato had increased from £88,000 to £122,000, and the amount for scavenging had gono up from £8000 to £16,000. Where had it been expended? A good deal of it went ill wngts. Tho Mayor: The city has been extended. We've taken in Onslow. Councillor MlCenzio said they were not doing Onslow—it was still tho earn* old town.

The Mayor: The town has grown—there are more houses. Councilor M'Kenzie ■ found that thie Hospital nnd Charitable Aid rate had increased from £13,623 in 1914 to £28,242 in 1919, and this year it was £35,513. They could not simply keep going on like that. They did not give these matters enough careful consideration. They should at least see that they got value for what they paid for. It could not bo all attributed to labour. Tho Mayor: And material. Councillor M'Kenzie: But we haven't been able to get any material. Thafs what makes it all the more puzzling. I fully think that when we pay we ought to see that the goods are delivered. These thinpg would be all the better for a little talk round the table. ■ Councillor C. H. Chapman said it was unfortunate that they had to cast tho rates before the revaluation of the city. It was well known that values had increased enormously in some parts of the city, and some people would bo bearing an unfair ."hnre of tho increased rates. "He regretted as one of tha Labour members that none of them were on tho Finance Committee. When they returned a majority to the council they must see that no one other than a Labour man should be on that committee—that would be simply doing to others what they were doing to them. (Laughter.). The Finance Committee's report was then put in its entirety, and passed with only one dissentient voice—that of Councillor Forsyth. THE 1919-20 RATES. The rates for 1919-20 (as opposed to those struck for 1920-21) were ns follow: —General. 2 l-10d.; city improvements, 29-200(1.: library, 17-200 d.; sanitation, No. 1, 49-200(1.: sanitation, No. 2. 7-200 d.; interest. 20-200(1. Total, 2 71-100 d. Hospital nnd charitable aid, 4-! d.; water, 2}d. (both on annual v^Jue).