WAIHI BEACH SCHEME.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4686, 11 April 1924, Page 1

WAIHI BEACH SCHEME.

EXPENDITURE TO DATE £<539. SELF-SUPPORTING PROSPECTS. !n die absence of the complete.l statement of the receipts and expenditure of the Waihi Borough Council for the twelve months ended Marco 31 (says the Waihi Telegraph) it is not possible to give the exact figures concerning the Waihi Beach scheme, but sufficient data is available to permit of an approximation of the position at the close of the financial year, an 1 the prospects of its being ultimately placed on a self-supporting basis. Going back to the time during which the late Mayor (Mr D. Donaldson) and the then council moved in the direction of acquiring the property as a public recreation and camping reserve, the records go to show that the preliminary expenses totalled about £BOO, ■ which amount was drawn from the general account. This was refunded when the council succeeded in raising a loan of £6OOO for the purchase of the land. COST OF MAINTENANCE. With the return to the general account of the £BOO there remained £5200 of the loan money, and pf this £5065 was expended by the old council in connection with the scheme, leaving a balance in hand of £135, which amount is still available. Since the election of Mr Wallnutt as Mayor and of the present council the expenditure on the scheme, including repairs to Waihi Beach Road, has amounted to no less than £1674. Of this £654 went in repairs to the road, £6OO to expenses incurred in connection with the reserve and improvements to the property, and £420 in payment of interest and sinking fund on the loan, making the total expenditure to March 31 £7539. Of the amount expended on the reserve by the present council £.55 went to Mr T. G. Price, architect, of Auckland, for the original lay-out plan, authority for the preparation pf which was given during Mr Donaldson’s term as Mayor. Other items included £155 to Messrs Haszard and Haszard for the sir vey and official plan of the township, £27 for a lifesaving reel, £3l to Mrs M. Shaw for fencing, and £4O for the painting and renovation of buildings. PROBLEMS AHEAD. The £1674 expended by the present council was taken from the general account, which will have to stand further heavy incursions if the Waihi counci l has to bear the full burden of bringing the scheme to ' completion. The greatest problem is the putting into permanently good order of the Waihi Beach Road, the' cost of whicn will not be less than £3OOO, while the provision of an adequate water supply, sanitary service, and other improvements to come at the reserve will probably absorb, a further £4oo' to £5OO. Thus, if no outside assistance is to come, the cost of the scheme co the council, in addition to the loan of £6OOO, is going to be approximately £5OOO. Money taken from the general account is not subject to interest charges, but as-in this case it Is being expended outside the borough, and local public works must suffer to the extent of that amount going to the scheme, it would seem proper that there should be a separate account ami that interest should be charged at the rate of not less than 6 per cent. UPKEEP AND RECEIPTS. if this course Is pursued and the whole of the expenses are met by the council, then there will have to be added to the loan money charges and sinking funds of £420 per annum, a further £3OO as interest on the money transferred from the general account to the Waihi Beach scheme account, thus raising the yearly, cost of the scheme to £720, without taking into consideration any expense that may be involved in the payment of a caretaker for the reserve or in keeping the road in order. For the past year the receipts from sections leaser! amounted tp £366, and the income from this source will therefore have to be doubled before the scheme approaches a self-supporting stage, assuming again, of course, that the council has to carry the project tli rough unaided. This, however, would be quite unreasonable, and some means must be found to make these outside Waihi who use the roa.l contribute towards the cost of putting it in order and towards its future maintenance. If a satisfactory solution of the matter can be reached, tli.’ii there, is no reason why in a few years’ time the scheme should not become self-supporting, and at the same time a valuable asset to the town, and more particularly the tradespeople catering for the visitors to the resort from other districts. If not it must continue a heavy drag on the council. but even should this prove to z>e the ease the scheme must be pushed to completion witli as little delay as possible .so as to enable the maximum revenue to be derived from it. FINDING THE MONEY. Exa< tly what course wWI be pursued in the matter of obtaining assistance towards putting tlie road in order has not yet been determined, but something more definite should V>e known shortly as the Mayor and the town clerk will attend a conference on the subject at Tauranga on Monday, April 21, when they will meet the representatives of the Tauranga and Ohinemuri county councils. The alternative courses of finding the money appear at the moment to be the raising of a loan, a Government grant, or the erection of a toll-gate on the road.