BOROUGH ESTIMATES.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 390, 15 April 1902, Page 3

BOROUGH ESTIMATES.

A meeting of the Estimates Committeo was held last night, there being present: The Mayor and Crs Kennody, Lysnar, and The Committeo first went into the revenue and expenditure of last year to base their calculations for the future. In rogard to sanitation, it was stated that last year the expenditure was £746 as against an estimate of £636. Cr Lysnar said that the appearance of things financially did not promise well for tho next year. Notwithstanding the extra revenue last year, they had mado a substantial increase in the overdraft. Tho estimate of revenuo was £4887.

KXI’KNDITUIIK. Overdraft and contingent liabilities such as metal, £4250. Interest on overdraft 5 pen cent, on £4OOO, £2OO. Office expenses, £477. Tho Clerk said tho legal expenses would bo heavier until recovered from loan. Street maintenance, £1955. Watering streets was £BO. Last year it cost £ll3. Street lighting, £l2O. “ You must not got in for so many new lights tbiß year, Bald the Mayor. Eire preventior., £IOO. New boiler, £3(’o. Nightwatchman’s salary, £l3O. Sanitation, otc., £719. The Mayor : Can we reduce that. . Cr Bright: It is evident it is not enough. Wo could not do it on that last last.

Cr Lysnar : It is not enough; Inercasod by £25. Hospital and Charitable Aid, £ISU. The Mayor: What about the now building for Old Mon’s Home ? Cr Bright : Wo cannot do it out of ordinary revenue. ~ , It was pointed out that there would bo subsidy. , It was agreed to put £uo on to the charitable aid amount. Tho item miscellaneous was put down at £l3l, tho total estimated expenditure being .£4637. . Cr Bright said that tho overdraft would bo about £4IOO. Cr Lysnar: And wo have nothing to show for it. , , Tho Mayor: At tho commencement ot tho year you wanted all sorts of permanent works, entailing permanent exCr Lysnar said that they had not got tho improvements yet. The Mayor: Where would wo have been if we had ? , . Cr Lysnar: We would have had a healthier town. The Mayor wanted to know how Cr Lysnar would have made provision for the items that had been suggested. Cr Lysnar: It looks very bad indeed. It comes to this, that we cannot provide for any new work. Cr Bright: Not a bit. The Mayor: You cannot do it if you go on increasing permanent charges. Cr Kennedy : It comes to this that the cost of any street machinery will havo to come out of loan. Cr Lysn^:: You cannot take it out of loan ; that is earmarked. Cr Kennedy: Ten thousand pounds for street maintenance. .In regard tq the various items the Mayor said that the cemetery would not have to be paid for yet —perhaps not this

year. Cr Bright said that there was still plenty of room in the old cemetery. Cr Lysnar again said that the position of affairs did not look very pleasant. The Mayor: Well, there it is. Cr Kennedy said that anyway they had got a new boiler. Cr Lysnar said that, last year’s promises hud not been provided for at all. Cr Bright said that £4OOO was tho overdraft limit. The Clerk said that the bank manager had stated that it must not exceed that at the end of the year. The Mayor asked Cr Lysnar if he could suggest any way of improving the posi- 1 tion ? . j Cr Lysnar said there were certainly . some things they surely must provide for. , Theresas the old promise to spend £SO | on the osplanade; also to do work at Victoria and Kahutia street, and there were other works. The Clerk : And Aberdeen road.

Cr Bright: It is no use putting it on the estimates if we have not got the inonoy. The Mayor said that at the beginning of tho year Cr Lysnar and others urged that more street lighting would have to be provided for. There were permanent charges for which they got very little benefit. Crs Kennedy and Bright dissented from that view. The Mayor pointed out that they had a borough of 1260 acres, larger than Christchurch to provide for. The discussion then ranged among boroughs of great and mean, proportions, statistical comparisons being made and opinions given until it was suggested that Councillors were getting off tho track and not facing tho stern lact by which they were confronted. Cr Lysnar repeated that he did not like the look of things at all, but a question as to whether he would like the rate increased gave the discussion another turn. Cr Lysnar said they were spending a lot of money on this water and drainage, and if the loan did not come off they would be finding themselves in the bankruptcy court. Cr Bright said they must not buy the land before they got the loan, but the Mayor said they would have the land as Boon as they could, whereat Cr Lysnar warned the Council that thoy would be getting into a mess if they were not careful.

UttLCiUl. Or Bright could not see any propeot of the position getting brighter. Cr Lysnar askod whether they could not raise money on the properties they had been buying; the Waikauae, for instance, with house, cost £799. The Mayor said that if they borrowed on them they would have to pay interest. Cr Lysnar said that it would be better to do that than starve the town. As to last year’s work, they had bought a handcart and road-scraper. (Laugnter.) h-J' The Mayor : And a gas engine. (Laughter.) Or Oysuar: Yes, and sold the old one. The Olerk said that no provision was made by which they could mortgage the properties. Tney might sell tlie Makaraka Domain, but that would go towards the sinking tund. Cr Bright, on looking up the old balance-sheets, pointed out that in ether days the Council had not been vLjo well of!. Cr Lysnar said they should not go tm loqking up money in their properties and starving the street expeiaiJure., The Mayor said that the properties •were a good investment, 'they had j.ac. to pav £3O a year for the nightsoil depot' and people were raising i.d.icction. They would get over the-.r little difficulties in time. They had insisted on going in for such things as -the electric lighting report, which he had considered absolute waste 01

lut ney. ~ , Cr Bright said all he could see for it was that the Council must resolve into a Vigilance Committee to watch every item. Cr Lysnar : Evidently there is no, thine; left to be vigilant over, tie ;woul<l like to know how they had raised the amount by which the <n--1 couie had been exceeded ? The Clerk : By increasing the over-

stated that the overdraft had been increased by £ISOO. , The Mayor said that he had hoped the 7 would have been able to have »et aside £SOO to redeem the old loan. Cr Kennedy : .We do not want to pry (off any loans. The Mayor : We have only lour veers to arrange for the one. Mr Lysnar said he hoped they would get it at a less rate of interest .ban they were paving for it. . After further discussion, ■ during which the Mayor said they could easily finance the properties they were acquiring, Cr Bright said that the only tiling he could see to do was to leave the estimates for the Council to see if they could do anything better. The Mayor, who moved the adoption of the estimates for presentation to She Couucil, asked if tberc were oay

alterations to propose or suggestions to make. Cr Lysnar : Except to see if we cannot get the expenditure on these properties recouped somehow. After further discussion, Crs Kennedy and Bright said that they could not sec anything else to do hut adopt the report. Cr Lysnar said if they could not get back anything ol the money invested in property, they might have to consider an extra rate. The Mayor said he had not made any suggestion of an additional rate it was that they should carry on as best they could. . _ Cr Bright laughingly said that if Cr Lysnar suggested an additional 2d rate he he might bo regarded as the first occupant of tho new cemetery. (Laughter.) Cr Lysnar: I do not suggost it, but say that it will have to be considered. The Mayor said that another threepence would be tbe limit. Cr Bright: It is like a game of chess. The Mayor : Yes, just one more move. “ Unless you cau see some silver lining to the dark cloud we may as well separato,” said the Mayor, and as the silver lining did not appear the report was adopted and tho committeo dispersed. _____________