WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 April 1921, Page 4

WESTLAND C OUNTY COUNCIL.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12th. TREASURER’S REPORT. FINANCIAL YEAR, 1920-21. I j regret that for two important reasons it is not possible to submit a complete report as required by .resolution at last meeting regarding the annual finances of the Council. The pattiiu- ■ Jars of receipts and expenditure are available and will be given following, 1 but owing to the new valuation not be--1 ing completed, and the probable dc- ' jnand for hospital maintenance not being ascertainable, it is not possible just [ yet to make adequate estimates regarding receipts and expenditures on which a fair apportionment of revenue for the financial year now entered upon rail he made. Until the amount of the Valuation is ascertained, and the hospital maintenance levy is known, the rate for the year governing the principal source of income cannot be fixed, find the report upon apportionment of the revenue must be deferred for the time being. The financial year which closed oil the 31st March gave a total income oi £14,979 an increase of nearly £3,000. Tho, .following is the analysis df the • Council’s general revenue, exclusive of special grants for specific works: £ s. d. General and, mining rates ... 5747 8 11 Subside and interest on rates 543 2 10 Goldfields’ revpnue , 2385 7 •> Fees, fines and, penalties 46 4 0 Publicans! licenses 544 13 0 Rents and refunds 83 17 11 Workers’ Compensation Act 18 10 0 Motor, slaughter licenses etc ,25 5 0 Thirds, land fund 313 5 10 Halves, royalties fund 1740 1 0 0 Contractors’ deposits 62 0 0 Miscellaneous refunds 96 19 3 Ratepayers’ contributions .. 437 7 6 Clerical assistance 93 13 -1 ~ i5,.138 5 8 The general revenue collected the previous yea i totalled £10,091. . Tlijs year rates accounted for an increase of £1371 and goldfields’ revenue, £IOO2. There was a decrease of £B6 in thirds, ! and of £258, in royalties.. The receipts on account of road grants were £2530 Os /d, and aid to prospecting £3lO Is 2d. The gross reoeipts for the year were £14,979 5s sd. The following supplies an analysis of tlie expenditure under the various subdivisions, set out in the. Counties Act: (a) General Debts and Liabilities.

The previous expenditure under this j heading was £2708. Hospital ,apd Charitable Aid levies account for an increase of £1028;, electoral .expenses, £223, and the Royal Visit expenditure. Against the latter £l4O is recovered from the Government, and has come to credit this week, so that the actual 1 cost to the Council for the Royal visit was only £l5O. ,i (c) Counties Act Administration.

Last year’s expenditure for these services was £3j630. On . .that occasion £BOO was paid out for Mikonui bridge. < This year £640 was tho increased quo,Ml 1 from the Council to supplement road 1 grants. ~ • '

North British Solid Truck Tyres nrejj] fitted at once, so that yopr truck no--'j* 1 not remain idle at,.all. Get in touch; v with,,H.„ Smith, Motor Garage, Grey-1 v mouth, Agent, ;;

Summary of general expenditure.

1 j Tiie general rgvenpe given in the 1 foregoing totalled,, £1213 ps Bd, and tho general expenditure £9034 11s lid leaving a surplus of £310.3. The ad- ' ditiopal. road expeijsture ,on the Separate Riding .Accounts is set, out below., The net totpl of the .amount was £2p55, ,as,, against ( £2s46 a the previous year. There was thus., a surplus for.tho year of £548. In,, the, previous year jfcjie deficit was £606, so the recovery in j the face of,, surrounding, circumstances ( myst H.e?'iconsidered very satisfactory. | The, following i,s the. expenditure on, ffcqqunt of ridings,, shown first j l in respect to nine, districts, and ,sc- , cpnd in fqgapi), to , the existing three j J Ridings, for the twelve months ended ! ! 31 »t March: —

This is practically as far as the report can lie carried for the present, until the information required in regard to valuation and hospital levy is available. The financial position in view of all the circumstances is satisfactory, but the immediate future will be such as to require a careful husbanding of the j funds as they accrue. There Ls evidence already that though parliamentary votes are allocated to the district, i and proposals for the expenditure have : been submitted, the authorisation of 1 the works is being with-held. If the i new valuation is available within a i reosonable time, it is hoped the council . will be able to reduce the amount levied per £ of rateable value. Eist year it : will be recalled the rate was increased i from six farthings to nine farthings, 1 and it was only by that action that the | Council was able to pull through the ! year without embarrassment. The Counj oil should look for some reduction in the j charitable aid levy this year. There I was a very substantial increase last year i to wipe out a deficit. That should be I accomplished now and heavy additional al expenditure on the part of the ! Kospitajs Board at their stage should be 1 discouraged by the County representatives, if the County ratepayers are to receive any substantial relief in local taxation. The principal contributors to' the rates are the settlers, the farmers and graziers, and as their income is affected by the fall in prices for stock and produce an effort should be made to make a favourable reduction in taxation. Tt will be difficult to enforce any economy in regard to road expenditure for the reason that the increased traction on many of the roads caused by the industrial development in regard to the milling of timber is a growing traffic. Indeed the cost of road maintenance will be incensed by this heavy’ traffic especially in regard to the strengthening and renewal of bridges and culverts All the planking on the small bridges and culverts will require renewing in stronger timber, and this will result in a steady drain on die funds. The cost involved is likely to he such that the matter of levying a substantial license fee to provide for the traffic must soon crop up. The motor lorry traffic will have a severe effect on tho road also this year. Already many of the roads are wearing down, and with the heavy loading and the speed at which the lorries move, the traffic is. a severe trial to the narrow roads, especially where the traction |ias to be confined to the one rut. Repairs to many of the roads have, been delayed also for the want , of labor and horses, and drays to deliver ( metal. The former is becoming more plentiful now, but. in the Central Riding j in particular horses and drays are al- . most .unavailable. The urgency for repair works in some cases, also the need for spending,.Government road grants * which ore available on roads in service is very pressing in many instances, 1 i’.ncl in the interest* of the finances those *

works should ot be unduly suspended. In other words, the Gouncil should determine without delay on the purchase ; of a motor tipping lorry or in the al-1 tentative teams of horses and drays to 1 carry out the works needed. Otherwise far more costly expenditure will have to he faced later, when the works might require even reconstructing.—Yours respectfully. D. J. EVANS, ."County- Treasurer

£ s. d. Repayment on loan 148 0 0 Interest on loan 26 19 6 Interest on overdraft 236 2 9 411 2 3 Last year the total under this headiim was £670 2s Gel. (b) Contributions under various acts. £ s. d. Charitable Aid Act 3316 4 2 Alcoholic Liquors Control Act 15 4 3 Workers’ Compensation Act 55 19 ,0 Sudsidy to literary instii i tutes 30 0 °l Rating Act 55 5 o! Public Health Act 34 1 2 Miscellaneous Acts 79 15 9 Royal visit 289 3 2 , Contractors deposit a/e. ... 20 0 0 Electoral Polls Act 233 17 9 i 4129 10 3f . i

* 1 ,, £ *, d. Chairman and members . .. 249 19 0 Office salaries .. 643 11 8 Office charges. .. 168 15 0 Printing, advertising and statiopery 92 6 11 Trap hire .. 20 0 0 1174 12 7 The previous year’s expenditure Oil this account was £1142. (d) Majn roads. Engineering charges ... 98 11 0 Trap hire 32 2 6 Printing, advertising and stationery . 105 10 0 Railway bridges .. 102 13 8 Telephone guarantee 4 0 0 Maintenance and salaries of road staff . 1060 17 9 Excess on grants expenditure 1915 11 11 „ . , , . ,3319 6 10

£ s. d. (a) General debts . 411 2 3 (b) pounds’ Act . .... 4128 10 3 (c) .Contributions under . , , Acts i.474 12 7 (d) Main roads .... . . . 3319 6 10 .9034 li 11

£ > Sr > 6 / < n Biding p? S S+3 2 Allocation Expenditure • Cr. Bal Dr. Bal. m 7 ra J c ' Dill mans ... £354 £150 13 1 £203 6 11 o Z % Stafford £23! £335 *17 £104 17 7 Allocation Expenditure Cr. Bal. Dr. Bal: -d x Arahurn £149 £140-13 6 £8 6 6 = S S’ Kanieri £206 £317 3 6 £111 3 6 Northern Central ... £73'4 £862 £627 4 2 £1141 14 11 £166 1 •> 10 £279' 14 11 3-' sr g Ivokatahi . £356 £680 2 5 £314 2 o “ o !S : Ritira £309 0 £155 11 0 Southern . £<13 £786 14 11 £ <3 14 11 S’ Totara.. £209 £153-13 5 £4& 4 -7 . £ ~ !£ :. Okarito .... £3-54 £473 17 10 £118 17 10 lot:;) ... .... £2309 £265.3 14 0 £106 l.) 10 £333 9 10 _ 5 •§ Okuru * £159 £159 1 8 1 6 Totals .. £2309 £2555 14 0 £413 9 0 £660 3 0