BOROUGH WORK REVIEWED

Grey River Argus, 7 October 1948, Page 8

BOROUGH WORK REVIEWED

In a report on the first six months, nresented to the Westport Borough Council, the Town Clerk, Mr P. Morgan, stated:— “During the period under review the expansion work in the borough has continued, houses are being erected in large numbers necessitating the provision of all essential services in all parts of the borough, which has not only required a large financial outlay, but has also precluded the possibility of carrying out work already scheduled, and this appears likely to continue, ■ indeed it is necessary that it should continue, so that the borough becomes fully built-up. If the sale of the assets of the electrical undertaking are sufficient, it would appear to be a good policy to formulate a proposal for submission to the Loans Board, to include wrks to be carried out, which would otherwise be held up for a number of years on account of the expansion or the borough, requiring all the ordinary resources of the Council. lhe linking with the Country Library Service was completed during the period, and all alterations and improvements to the layout have been carried out successfully, the staff being in much more comfortable surroundings, as well as all facilities for the subscribers being available; the increasing number of subscribers may soon necessitate some work being carried out by my own staff”. The position of the mam accounts (credit unless otherwise stated) was as follows: — Financial: —

Position of main accounts: Account: General, 1947, £3457, 1948, £2066; library, £5B, £220 (debit); abattoir, £798 (debit), £485 (debit); gas .supply, £1312 (debit), £lB2B (debit); gas fittings £539, £212; water supply £842, £67; electric supply, £1977, £1437: electric fittings £l2, £551; district fund. £4628, £lBOO. This represents a decline in all accounts of £2828.

“Only two 1 accounts show an improvement ovei - last year, the abattoir account, £313, due mostly to the increased fees and to slightly less expenditure; and the electric fittings account with sales up by £BOO plus the increased commencing credit over last year of £2OO, and expenditure only rising by £5OO, giving the improvement of £539, which may be necessary to help to balance the electric supply account at the end of the financial year”, said Mr Morgan. “Although six of the main accounts show an apparent decline, when the position is checked up it is shown that while the balances of these accounts have declined, the financial position for the actual period has in some cases improved, as the following explanation will show: The general account, showing a decline of £1244, commenced the year with a balance less favourable than the previous year by over £lOOO, so that the decline is negligible; the gas supply account appears to have gone back, but the commencing balance again comes into the picture, as it was less favourable this year by £B5O, which more than offsets the decline in the cash position of £516, residual revenue being up by £4OO, but this was the result of the sale of the accumulated stock of tar. The position of the water supply and the gas fittings accounts are due entirely to increased expenditure, while the electric supply account, although it has an increased revenue of £l5OO, the expenditure has increased by £2OOO, most of which has been paid out for the supply of currt*it from the Denniston steam station.

“The library account is in a most unfavourable position on account of the fact that the alterations and installations necessary for the introduction of the Country Library Service cost over £lOO more than, was budgeted for in the estimates, as it was extremely difficult to arrive at a correct figure, and this account cannot improve its position during the second half of the year, but the rate should be sufficient next year, when no alterations have to be met, although revenue will be the deciding fact.or. “District fund account: As already shown, the overall position is down by £2828, in comparison with the same period last year, but when it is remembered that last month the position was down by £3264, and July by £5086 compared with the same periods last' year, the position is improving each month, and by the end of the financial year should have reached the expected position, as the estimates provided for the using up of most of the credit balances. “Rate collections: Arrears to date amounted to £432', and the current year to £12,963, being 60.86 per cent, as compared with 60.81 per cent, to the same period last year. “Comparison of estimates: These schedules are all set out in full for the benefit of councillors, and while some items have been over-expended, others have not reached the figure set, the result being that the position is about what we could expect at the end of the half-year, and that the budget figure for most accounts should be in that vicinity at the end of the financial year, with the exception of the water and library accounts. “Rating in the borough: I am sure all councillors are familiar with the statements made regarding how high rates are in this borough, in fact some councillors are perhaps of that opinion themselves, and I feel that in view of the fact that it is almost certain that a street lighting rate of lid in the pound will have to be levied next rating year, and possibly an increase of Id for water, the true position should be set out. First of all I would point out that from figures gathered by the Town Clerk of Blenheim, from 34 boroughs, the average increase in rates over five years was 26 per cent., while the Westport increase was only 12 per cent., which in actual cash would mean that rates of £5, £B, £l2, and £l5, have only increased in the five years to £5 12s Id, £8 19s 2d, £l3 9s, and £l6 16s 3d respectively, a weekly increase of from 3d to 81d, scarcely an increase to cause alarm. Next, the actual amount levied in the pound over the last six years: for the rating year 1942-43, 2s 7d; 1948-49, 2s 9d, a total increase over Six rating years of 2d in the pound, in cash £l2'oo out of a total revenue received by the Council in all accounts of over £80,000; surely a trifling increase out of such a large revenue and for such a long period, and a period during which costs have risen in all directions. I trust that this statement will dispel the impression already created in’the minds of the people, regarding high rates, which have not been calculated to encourage people to settle in the borough”. GAS WORKS REPORT The gas manager reported as follows to the Westport Borough Council:— Tar made during the month, 1200 gallons; coke made, 36 tons; gas made, 2,519,000 cubic'feet; gas made during the same month the previous year, 2,555,500 cubic feet. During the month four gas cookers, two gas coppers and one caliphont were connected, and one new gas service and three new water services laid. Twenty chains of the Bin trunk gas main were laid in Mill Street, and is now supplying upper Derby Street. Romilly and Peel Streets will be connected shortly, which will improve the supply in these areas. Reductions have been made in the gas leakage, and should improve as leaks

are located ana pipes renewed. The Town Clerk’s report on gas leakages stated: "The gas manager (Mr J. McNally) is to be complimented on the manner in which the colossal task of detecting the large gas leakage has been, and is being handled, as the following figures will show: During the bi-monthly periods ending May 31, July 31 and September 30, 1948, the percentage of gas sold out of the total manufactured was 56.18; 60.69 and 62.57 respectively, thus the loss of gas being reduced from 43.82 per cent, at the end of May, to 37.43 at the end of September, a very creditable performance by Mr McNally and his capable staff. This work must be carried out, regardless of cost, until the amount lost is down to normal, as not only has the plant tended to become overloaded, until the loss was reduced, but any possibility of the department even paying its way had to be ruled out”. BOROUGH WORKS The foreman-overseer, Mr T. Sullivan, in his report foi' September, stated: — “Works: Two motor crossings have been made and installed; 800 gallons of tar has been used for mixing asphalt, and same used for repairs to various streets and footpaths, and existing motor crossings have been repaired as well as storm water traps. Scrub has been cleared on some streets, and the levelling of the street flanks near North School is under way. Sixty yards of concrete and road gravel have been carted to the Housing Department, and 15 yards to the yard and asphalt shed. Four of our staff are at present with the gas department installing new gas main. “Waterworks: Eight more 30in pipes have arrived on the job, five being placed in line. Repairs to tunnels 2,3, and 6 have been carried out and there is more pending. Our town staff have assisted to 1 snig timber and place same on the job. Extra coal, bricks and cement have been carted to the gasworks, as well as extra cartage for the electrical department. The usual maintenance work in the borough and the clearing of ashes from the gasworks has been carried out”.