County Rate Rise

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 121, 8 June 1937, Page 6

County Rate Rise

ESTIMATED T0TAL £12,923 More Wanted for Coming Year P0SSIBLE ADJUSTMENT The Hawke's Bay County Council rate for the coming year is expected to he ahout £68„061( compared with £55,138 for last year. A statenient to this effect was made this morning hy the county clerk, Mr W. J. O'Connell, fol. lowing a meeting of the council yesterday at which a tentative rate was struck. An increased hospitai levy, the addition of a harhour rate,. and the general in. crease in wage and- material costs are the causes of the increase of £12,923. Mr O'Connell explained that very ! serious discussion had been given to ; the matter of the rate by the council, and it had tried, as far as was possihle, to keep the' various riding rates at the same figure as last year. Owing to increased costs, this had been found impossible without seriously curtailing the programme of works set out fot completion during the year It was hoped shortly to publi-1h for Ihe benefit of the ratepayers the exact rate aud the amount of revenue it was expected to produce in each riding, together with a comparison of the revenue produeed by last year's rate and a schedule of the manner itt whieh the money was to be spent, he added. The rate will not be definitely fixed until after the return to Napier on June 24 of the acting-Minister , of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, when some definite indication of the amount of Goverament assistanee toward labour costs in works that assist in taking men off susternance maybe received. If the discussion with the Minister results in some definite agreement being arrived at, some adjust. ment in the rate m'ay be made. "The rate will not be definitely struck until the next meeting," said Mr O'Connell,, "but in the meantime it appears from the estimates prepared that the total rate struck will be £68,061, compared with £55,138 last year, "Of the differenee of £12,923, only £2761 is for county purposes, the additional £10,162 being for the .purpose of outside levies. The increase in the hospitai rate and the imposition of a harbour rate make up this total."