CORRESPONDENCE.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 6, 3 July 1930, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

•;■■■: .. increase I, sn -. ratjjs. ■ ■ (so.the JBditor). .: - must be witi. considerable, alarm that the ratepayers .generally view the continued increase inthe rates. ,pf • vt-he borough. J£irstly-ymig&t- I ask,; Was at not ah .ele&tion .promise of the] .iaesentrCauneil that :tih.ere would be. no! increase in rates ? T ~ •- j Withcan increase this jrear of l£d int ; jthe ■': £1, or -practically r 25 , per cent in; the General Bate, I contend t-iat .there; is ample..justifteation for.the xateps^ers jdeniandijgg to,;know, for what .purpose v this additional -revienue is required. r repjortjas pjiblißhe^^in .«ne-of^ourrdailyl .pspdrs, -would Jlead one. to believe 'that the Hospital Tje&y is responsible, but if the [statement which appeared in. print a short time ago-is correct, otar borough is called upon; to -'find an amount con-f sidcrably less thaaiQast 'yeietr. . . iugiit I suggest that perhaps the additional revenue, is required to carry out the programme of tar .sealing tike Toads, for. which purpose the JE*bans: Board recently re£used to sanction a loan, in;terms .satisfactory iq the Coun-f cii. 'If this is the .Council's jnefihod of overcoming tSie difficulty of obtaining the ratepayers' sanction to a loanj why .not be candid? ■ Admittedly, thejppliey of tar the roa'da is economicaily sound, but the .be,tter roads benefit only a section of the community, and it shows. its appreciation by using them as speedways. Wouid it be asking too muoh for tihe Council to put' the footpaths of the

borough in good order and condition, and then ratepayers as a whole would benefit.

Reverting again to .the.subject 6i revenue, theßorough Council should be inr a much better position now than previously, in that it is collecting rates j from oyeT one thousand Government sections, which hitherto were practic* ally non^producing, and incidentally with the building progress-that is being maintained, "a considerable "amount" must also be collected from the granting of the necessary permits. In this latter connection, it might surprise many to know that to obtain a permit to erect a housein the borough, to. the - value of, £900 :.(in parts other than the Government subdivision), -it costs ,£ls 5&., whilst in Wellington City 7 ?^?ie permit may be obtained for_ £4 2s. Tha36 £• > do not include CJxossingv Pees of JS2, which are chargedUin both; cpses. . "■- .-■-.■ " . ....-.-■.. ■ ;■■■ ■■;■''

In -view of the foregoing, and consi iering the present financial, stringency, it appears me that tie tiiae is more opportune for a Sjubstantiai ;decreaee in rates, as exempliftea by our neighbouiing borough.—l am etc., A DISGUSTED BATEPAYEB.