INACCURATE CRITICS OF COUNTY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 116, 2 June 1937, Page 4

INACCURATE CRITICS OF COUNTY

Reply to Charge That Reserve Was ^Dissipated" WHY RATE HAS RISEN Strong exception to inaccurate criticism of the rise in county rates is taken by the Hawke's Bay County Council in a statement issued to the Herald-Tribune this afternoon. The statement is in reply to the remarks of a correspondent on Saturday evening regarding the former reserve fund of thei county.' "At the annual meeting of the Hawke 's Bay County Council the county chairman, Mr F. B. Logan, drew attention to the fact that ratepayers must be prepared this year to meet ^ a considerable rise in rates," said the county clerk, Mr W. J. O'Connell. "This will be mainly due to a levy of nearly £24,000 to satisfy the demands of the hospital levy and the Harbour Board rate as against £14,883 for lgst year, which dncluded the hospital levy only. It is recognised that recent legislation is largely responsible for this added burden on the ratepayers of the Hawke 's Bay county, and it is manifest that the same conditions must apply to the budgeting for expenditure on county roacts and bridges. "But with these facts clearly establiished," he added, "it is astonishing that comment that is obviously unfair > should force itself into the public •Press. It is appreciated that a eriterion of opinion cannot be established by the thoughtless viewpoint of a small pevcentage of the 4000 ratepayers in the' Hawke's Bay county, but if these '.uaccurate Teferences are not relegated to their propej; sphere it is quite likely that a confused impresaion may be created in the minds of those who have not realised the other side of the queation. "A well-known ratepayer in the county has recently written .to the local Press deploring the fact that 'Mr firosse built up a reserve fund of £30,000 which this happy family' (that is, the present council) 'has n'ot only di'ssipated, elc. ' Surely he of all people should k»ow how it has been ' digsipated. ' "The county did have a credit balance of £30,000 at the time of the earthquake due to the foresight of the council under the guidance of such chairmen as Messrs T. E. Crosse, T. M. Chambers, H, M. Campbell and- F. B. Logan, but when the depression occurred and prices failed the farmers were in a sorry plight and it was then considered nece&sary to 'disisipate' the nest-egg which the couneil had accumulated against such a conti'ugency. This was accomplished by a drastie reduction of rates which continued for. over three years. In fact, during the period from 1932 to 1937, had the county continued to strike the same rates as in 1931, then the ratepayer in questi.on would have paid nearly £1000 ihore in rates than he has done. In other words, he has enjoyed nearly £1000 of the ' dissipation. ' "He also -'states that the rates last year rose by approximately 90 por cent. The Tates in his partieular riding are increased by approximately 60 per cent., but are not yet back to normal — for the year ended Mareh 31, 1937, he paid only 67 per cent. of what he paid for the year ended March 31, 1931."