HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4493, 17 November 1922, Page 1

HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

THE COUNCIL’S FINANCE. THE CLERK’S.. REPORT. The clerk to the Hauraki Plains County Council, Mr E. Walton, reported to Monday’s meeting as follows.: The balances are as follows: Turua, credit balance, £3l 14s; Waitakaruru. credit balance, £376 4s; I’atetonga, debit balance, £49 15s lOd ; Netherton, debit balance,, £.104 7s sd'; Tahuna,, debit balance, £155 14s 4XI.

The amount of general rate in County Fund available for expenditure, £9B 2s 2d. The balances in -the loan accounts on October 31, 1922, were : Ntetherton roads 10an, £2046 10s 3d ; Tahuna roads loan, £640 15s 7d; Kopu ferry approach roads >,loan £328 9s lid; Waitakaruru roads’ loan, £1 Is sd; Puriri ferry and approach roads loan, £404 12s lOd ; Ngataipu.a Efist road Iban, £300; housing loans, £1495 6s. The receipts for the month of October include: General rate, £507 Is 2d; hospital rate, £306 8s Id ; antecedent liability special rate, £lO5 0s 6d ; Kopu ferry, £lB 6s lid ; Orchard bridge, £2O 4s 7d ; Waihou ’bridge, £5 2s 2d; Netherton roads, £l9 6s 5d ; Waitakaruru roads, £2O 12s Sd 1 ; Tahuna roads, £23, 12s; Puriri ferry, £25 16s lid; Kopu ferry approach roads’, £2l Is 7d ; “penalty, £l3 19s 7d ; court costs, £5 3s; solicitor’s fees£2 5s ; rate suspense account, £25 : tractor hire, £l2 ; ferry rent, £6 8s 4d. The total is £ll4 O’ 15s 6d,. The credit balance as* per cashbook of the county fund account on October 31, 192)2, was £1957 10s 9d. MACHINERY LOAN. The Public Trustee has replied to the application for £lO,OOO of this loan, stating that he cannot now entertain it. In view of that reply, last week I wrote to the following institutions’ and persons inquiring whether they coudl. place the loan, and upon what terms : Bank of New Zealand, ■Australian Mutual Provident N.Z. Insurance Company, Limited, South British Insurance Co., Ltd, and Bamford, Brown, and Leary. It seems to me that until this monej’ can be raised the Council will experience considerable difficulty in pprceeding with the hoppers at Netherton and Hikutaia. Further, until, this money is available it will not be possible to refund the sums advanced from the general account. It may oe necessary to offer 6% per cent, in order to raise this loan, and I should like to have your ruling as to paying this rafe if money is available thereat. BALANCE-SHEET, Since last meeting ,the Government Audit Inspector has been through the accounts. He took the books to Thames and checked them there, I had several interviews with him, and I think he is satisfied that they are in order. - Possibly his head office will “tag” the payment of interest on Hikutaia quarry, but this payment is within the allowance, of unauthorised expenditure. In view pf the adjustment with the Turua Town Board and possibly later with regard to Tahuna secession he thought it better to hold the payments for hire on the trucks and roller and the advances to loan and interest accounts as a balance in general account than to apportion those payments to the several ridings. He also said that the expenditure on Hikutaia and Waitakaruru quarries’ must be charged, to the ridings which received the metal after allowing for preliminary expenses in both cases and sale of metal ip the case of the Hikutaia quarry. These two alterations have, of course, affected, ay way of reducing, the riding debit balances at March 31, 1922. GENERAL RATES. With his report Mr Walton also gave a general rate statement as at October 31, 1922, showing the financial position in the various ridings, Turua riding.—l92l-22, arrears at March 31, 1922 £B>23 7s 6d, rate struck 1922-23 £1587 15s’ 6d. Arrears collected £579 19s, 1922-23 rate collected £270 12s 7d. Total collected £B5O Ils 7d. Total expenditure £BlB 16s 9d,

Waitakaruru.—l92l-22 arrears at March 31, 1922 £lOO9 5s 2d, struck 1922-23 £1172 16s sd; arrears collected £906 5s Bd, 1922-23 rate collected £ll9 6s sd'; total collected £1025 12s Id. Total expenditure £649 7s 2d. Patetonga.— arrears at March 31, 192'2'£566 4s 3d. struck 1922-23 £734 3s 4d ; arrears collected £326 Ils 2d, 1922-23 rate collected £153 14s lid ; total collected £47o’ Gild, less refunds £B6 4s 4d, equals £3Bl Is 9d. Total expenditure £433 17s 7d. Netherton. —1921-22 arrears at March 31, 1922 £1295 4s 3d, struck 1922-22 £2173 ; arrears collected £984 15s, 1922-23 rate collected £lBB 0s 6d ; total collected £1172 15s 6d. Total expenditure £1277 2s lid. Tahuna.—l92l-22 arrears at March 31, 1922 £794 19s sd, struck 1922-23 £1165 ; arrears collected £384 3s 3d, rate collected £72 18s sd; total collected £457 Is Bd. Total expenditure £612 16s.