BOROUGH FINANCE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4331, 17 October 1921, Page 2

BOROUGH FINANCE.

PAYMENT OF RATES.

ACCELERATION DESIRABLE. bi common with other local bodies, the Paeroa Borough Council is, handicapped by the slowness which characterises the payments of rates, as expressed in the following report presented by the Finance Committee to the council on Thursday night:

Your Committee begs -to report that during the month the revenue has been £266 10s Id, and expenditure £1697 2s lOd. Including the attached accounts, which your Committee recommends for payment, the bank overdraft amounts to £2772 Bs, which includes an amount of £1916 6s 6d transferred ,to -the 1920 loan account. The estimates for the year, together with the receipts and expenditure for the six months ending September 30 last, are before you to-night, and in connexion with the same we would like to point ou.t that the general position is quite sound, though it will be necessary to exercise care for the remainder of the year owing to extraordinary expenditure. The expenditure for public works has been high, and the two Commissions cost the borough approximately £2OO. The outstanding feature of the receipts- is -that the rates 'are coming in very slowly. If the ratepayers only realised that it would save heavy interest charges if their rates were paid promptly, we should be in a far stronger position to-day., The £9OOO on account of sewerage loan has not yet come to hand,, but we anticipate that it will be forwarded shortly. Your Committee recommends that when the money is available tenders be called for that portion of the town outlined in the engineer’s plan, submitted in July last, with the addition pf the area including the public school, which we consider should be served if at all possible. You will notice in the Water Charges statement that approximately 50 per cent, of the current year’s charges are paid. We consider that, as the consumers have had six months’ supply, the balance of these charges should be paid forthwith, and we recpmmend that the town clerk be authorised to notify the Consumers who have not paid through the press that unless the charges are paid before Monday, November 14, the water supply will be cut off forthwith.