WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1918, Page 4

WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Treasurer’s report to the Couucil on receipts and expenditure for 1917-IS, and apportionment of revenue to separate Ridings for 1918-19.

Sir; Gentlemen, —

1 have the honor to report in accordance with tiie resolution of the Council on the finances of the past year, and to submit the following for your guidance in connection with the apportionment of the revenue for the current financial year, in ' terms of the.provisions of the Counties Act:— The financial year which closed on March 31st last, gave the following general revenue, exclusive ot special grants:—

The receipts on account of road votes were £J 319 3/8, and on account of prospecting aid, £643 9/o.' The gross receipts for the year were thus £lu,3sG 4/9. The following supplies an analysis of the expenditure under the various sub-divisions; as set out in the Counties Act: -

GENERAL DEBTS AND MAIHT.mBS.

MAIN ROADS.

The general revenue given above totalled £8393 12/1, and the general expenditure,set out above was £5283 9/10, leaving an excess of £3llO 2/3. From this last sum was drawn the expenditure for* the Separate Riding accounts (set out below in detail). The total of those accounts whs £2303 13/0, which left a surplus for the year of £746 6/9. This has duced the net debir. balance for the year from £3839 with which the accounts opened on April Ist, 1917, to £3,111 at which the account closed, on the 31st March, 1918 a not unsatisfactory result for the year in view of increased charges for labor and material, and the fact that ex-, penditure on accounts of grants expenditure was considerably less owing to war conditions.

The following is the Separate Riding expenditure for the past year, as referred to in the foregoing paragraph :

SEPARATE RIDINGS ACCOUNT. Expenditure for the twelve months ended March 31st, 1918. Pi' r-H PH 3 ! ! ft CO 00 £ ! I i>. i>. M ! $ W x 1 wHooiaoMHO iA ,-1 ►5 —<N W M 1-1 1-1 eaooowoofflts-f >o • <00505 IMOMOH CO g I-HNH"/ S j <p b 1-1 1-1 j* OO >0 <N OO 05 C U 5 C 105 Q i-l r-l r-t rS rH i-H 152 HHQ HOO Nt— rH CO « Hl*NOmMt>o3lo I <o ft <0 <N CO<OINSNCO<N C<s £ V | ' 'TT ft CO CO rt rS '«■'# O | | <jj / So g-ft o . 'Tb a o S ® P JJ a .8 n .h a a <*■ h ft a 5 <s a -ft Uh Ssß'O .s **4 •

„ -Nst :cred it b.al ancß,- £ 817 4/6,

Average expenditure for month available, £265 ; actual, £197.

The expenditure for the corresponding’ period of the previous financial year on district roads was £3219 8/9... For the current year (1918-19) the estimated County revenue is £9,000 and the estimated general expenditure (apart from Separate Riding Accounts for district roads) is £6,300 leaving an estimated surplus of ,£2,700 for district roads expenditure. This sum is to be allocated according to revenue for the past year. The revenue of £8393 12/1 has been separated to the respective Ridings as follows : £ s d

The allocation of the available sum of £2,700 on the foregoing revenue basis, gives the following result, allowing also for debit or credit balances, or advances, as £he case might be :

The next consideration is the measure of help for those Ridings which show a financial weakness to carry on district roads maintenance for the yeart,. To secure an allocation equal to the possible requirements it appears to be necessary to borrow £73B*from the Ridings accounts as follows: Riuiu Hiding, £635; and Totara Riding, £103; this siim to be apportioned as follows:—£200 to Araliuraßiding, £338 to Kanieri Riding, and £IOO each to Ivokatahi Riding and Okuru Riding. This' temporary adjustment gives the following working allocation for the year: £ Dillmans Riding ... 392 Stafford Riding ... 338 Arahura Riding ... 277 Kanieri Ruling ... 226 Kokatahi Riding ... 477 Rirnu Riding ... 600 Totara Riding ... 500 Okarito Riding ... 444 Ok-wru Riding ... 263 £3517 In connection with the above, provision is made for increased expenditure in the Arahura and'Kanieri Ridings as a result of the expected lining developments. It is hope,d there will be a corresponding increase of revenue for the two districts, for both show a weakness in the matter of receipts— particularly Kanieri Riding for the demands made upon it. Even if the general rate for this Riding were doubled it would hardly ' solve the position, unless valuable mining property arises. The merging of portion of the Riding into Arahura, and the larger portiou into Rimu Riding, might be a possible solution, but this could not take effect financially for two years. As indicating the drain on the general funds to meet the Charitable Aid levy, it should be mentioned that while £2,363 15/6 was expended under the district roads scheme for maintenance, no less than £2,590 13/4 was paid out for Charitable Aid requirements. Members will thus see that it is, costing, the County ratepayers more to maintain the hospitals of the district than it is to keep up the County roads under the Council’s control.

During this year a considerable sum has to be found for expenditure on bridges, and the r’oads expenditure will require to be curtailed to the fullest possible extent consistent with general requirements. I am, Sir and Gentleman, Your Obedient Servant, D. ,1. Evans, Treasurer. Hokitika, May 17tli, 1918.

£ s d General & Mining Rated 4179 1 3 Subsidy & Interest on Rates 525 13 4 Guldrields Revenue ... 1112 <; 2 Fees, Fines, & Penalties 35 9 0 Publicans’ Licenses ... 582 3 0 Rents & Refunds 210 13 4 Workers’ Compensation “ Act 12 0 0 Motor, Dog & Slaughter S’ House Licenses .... 9 0 0 Sale of Plant & Miscellaneous 17 14 0 Thirds, Land Fund 418 17 8 Halves, Royalties Fund 1116 14 4 Contractors’ Deposits ... 13 0 0 General Contributions ... 11 0 0 Imprest Account 150 0 0 8393 12 1

Repayment on Loan ... £ 320 s 0 cl 0 Interest on Loans 74 13 6 Interest on Overdraft ... 214 3 0 60S contributions under various 16 \CTf 6 Charitable Aid... 2o90 13 4 Alcoholic Liquors Sale Act ... ... 86 5 2 Workers’ Compensation Act 42 0 6 Subsidies to Literary Institutes... 14 0 0 Rating Acts Expenses... 130 13 0 War Contributions Act 8 14 6 Law Charges ... 83 4 7 Contractors’ Deposits Account ... 25 0 0 Electoral Expenses 84 2 0 3064 13 10 COUNTIES ACT ADMINISTRATION, Chairman & Members... 230 14 10 Office Salaries ... 456 l s Office Charges ... 134 4 4 Printing, Advertising & Stationery 69 5 9 Traphire 25 13 0 915 18 9

Engineering Charges ... 14 8 0 Trapliire 15 0 ' 3 0 Printing. Advertising A Stationery 84 0 0 Railway Bridges 71 0 0 Telephone Guarantee ... 4 0 0 Maintenance,Main Roads 307 7 8 Excess on grants expenditure 158 5 1 694 0 9 SCHJIABY OF GENERAL EXPENDITURE General Debts ... 608 16 6 Contributions Under Acts 3064 13 10 Counties Act ... 915 18 9 Main Roads ... 694 0 9 5283 9 10

Dillmans Riding ... 822 0 S Stafford Riding ... 566 4 8 Arab ura Riding ... 555 7 11 Kanieri Riding ... 316 19 9 Kokatahi Riding .... 1350 13 11 Rimu Riding ... ... 1421 14 7 Totara Riding... ... 972 2 7 Okarito Riding ... 1448 19 4 0 kui'ii Riding .1. .... 593 13 1 Miscellaneous (not allotable) ... 345 15 10 8393 12 1

■ 1 Hiding. Ar, LOCATION. Ck. Balance. Dk. Balance. : Previous Advance. Net Available Dillmans 276 66 Or. 50 Cr. 392 Stafford 190 98 Cr. *50 Cr. 338 Arahura 186 91 <*: Dr. 200 Cr. 77 Kanieri 106 18 Dr. 200 Dr. 112 Kokatahi 454 123 Dr. 200 Cr. 37*7 liimu 477 208 Cr. 550 Cr. 1235 Totara 326 177 Cr. 100 Cr. 603 Okarito 487 ■ 57 Dr. 100 Cr. 144 Okuru 198 15 Dr. 50 Cr. 163 £2700 £835 £18 Cr. 3517