LIABILITIES REDUCED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20017, 16 August 1939, Page 12

LIABILITIES REDUCED

MATAKAOA COUNTY SATISFACTORY PROGRESS * GOOD RATE COLLECTIONS (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Satisfactory progress has been made during the year in reducing me liabilities ot the Matakaoa County under commissioner control, jjj.es die' Under-Secretary of .Internal Adairs, in his annual report. He adds that the commissioner again pursued a vigorous policy of rate collections. In face of the adverse conditions existing in the county, the straitened financial circumstances of a large number of ratepayers, the severe native rating problem, isolation from markets and other factors, the total collections represented 75 per cent of the current rates and a substantial amount of arrears.

This, considering the adverse conditions can be regarded as very good. The collection of arrears was assisted to a substantial degree by the disposal of mortgagor relief applications and by certain native lands coming under native development .schemes. These two sources of collection are now no longer available to any similar degree. Accordingly, the collection of any further suosvandal amounts of arrears of rates is now very remote. Furthermore, the recession in the prices of primary products is severely affecting the farming community, comprising the Matakaoa ratepayers, as "most of them have no tecerves to tall back on. The position i,s being closely watched with a view to minimising as far as possible the effect of this recession on the progress of works in tiie county. Further, the extensive flood damage, which occurred during the earlier portion of the year, is causing an additional drain on the county’s resources, but a dry summer enabled ordinary maintenance and new works to be carried oul without interruption.