PAEROA BOROUGH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5414, 22 April 1929, Page 2

PAEROA BOROUGH.

COUNCIL’S TERM REVIEWED. RESUME BY THE MAYOR. Towards the end of the Borough Council meeting on Thursday night the Mayor, Mr W. Marshall, read the following resume of borough affairs during the last term of office :— “To-night another milestone is reached in the history of the Corporation of the Borough of Paeroa : another council arrives at its last meeting, and our collective opportunity for service in this way comes now to its end. Under these circumstances a retrospective turn of mind is natural. So, following the precedent established by my predecessors and continued by myself, I present tonight a brief review of the activities of the Council during its term of office. The statement will be similar to two which I have previously prepared. For this I make no apology, because the controlling minds have been largely the same, and similar ideals have quite naturally influenced the work which has been done.

“Firstly, in regard to finance :— “A perusal of the .balance-sheet shows that on March 31 last there was in current accounts (that is, excluding loan accounts) total credits amounting to £2477 0s lid, against which there are small debits in three accounts .totalling £2O 15s, with outstanding rates amounting to £2136 17s lid. Outstanding rates have been reduced this yeai' by approximately £6OO, although they had steadily increased each previous yeai' since the borough was formed. This is an encouraging sign.

“The figures indicate a sound position in the various annual accounts, and the estimates each year have proved quite reliable. This last-men-tioned point has also been the experience in regard to expenditure under loan authorisations, so that in every case the work has been done for the amount of the loan. “When this council took office the public debt stood at £45,298 10s lOd, plus hypothecated debentures £1243 12s Id, total £46,542 2s lid ; less accrued sinking funds, £3lB 7s Id, making a final total of £46,223 15s. Today it stands at £59,955 ss, less sinking funds £977 Is 2d—£58,978 3s lOd. This gives a total increase in the public debt for the two-year period of £12,754 8s lid, brought about thi'ough raising the following loans : Balance 1920 Street Improvements, £2706 7s lid ; relief of unemployment, £2OOO ; Criterion Bridge, £1800; main streets improvement, £4500; shimming baths’ £2OOO ; sewerage, £5OO ; water, £7OO ; total, £14,206 7s lid ; less principal repaid during period, £793 5s lOd, and sinking funds accrued, £658 13s 3d ; the balance, £12,754 8s lOd, being increase in public debt. “For this expenditure we have : A new traffic bridge; the swimming baths ; four miles of reconstructed and bituminised main streets ; bituminised surface in Moore Road and Lower Hill Street; formation and metalling in Flora Street, Saleyards Street, and Buchanan Street; Metalling of Dearie Street, George Street, and part of Williughby Street; sewer extension in Kennedy Street; pumphouse and sewer pump installation ; and four 4-inch water mains, in Rye Lane, Kennedy Street, and Wood Street.

“It can be safely said that full value has been received for this* expenditure of loan money, and that the work has been of a permanent nature. And as arrangements have been made by the creation of adequate sinking funds to repay the relief of unemployment and improvements to main streets loans in fifteen years, and the others in 36i years, it can be fairly claimed that posterity will not be left to carry more than a fair share of the cost of these, works. ‘ “The general rate for the period ■vvas Sgd, as against 32d and 2£d for the previous two years ; and the expenditure-. on public works amounted to £12,621 Is 4d, being an increase of £7859 10s 4d over the previous two years. This was made possible by main highways and relief of unemployment subsidies, together with transfers from the water and Ngahina Wharf accounts, and heavy traffic license fees. “In addition to administration and maintenance charges out of this annual revenue, some permanent work has . been done and assets created that are worthy of note. They are as follows : Purchase of an additional area adjoining Rawhiti Reserve of 2 acres 1 rood 29 perches, at a cost of £348 10 s ; purchase of bitumen pre-heater, £3OO ; completion of the work of enlarging and improving stormwater drainage at a cost of approximately £450 ; new bridge in Puke Road and in Rye Lane ; concrete culvert in Station Road ; reconditioning of bitumen portion of Belmont Road ; formation and metalling of Seth Street and Raroa Road West; formation to permanent level shcool portion of Wood Street, and piping and filling of drains, with footpath improvements ; piping and filling open drains in Upper Normanby Road from Public Works office to Russell Street; drainage and formation work in Thorp Street and Willoughby Street; raising and metalling Russell Street from Willoughby Street to Wood Street; reconstruction of Rye Lane and Prospect Terrace ; and bituminising Upper Hill Street; Asphalting paths round post office, approaches to river bridge, Moore Road, and one side of Wood Street; laying out and equipping two children’s areas; and the planting of 3000 trees on the Range Street reserve.

“Recapitulation of these achievements out of revenue should assure us that some enduring assets have been secured to the borough corporation out of current revenue, and that only work of a permanent character which could not be financed out of revenue has been done by loan expenditure.

“During the past two years a new problem has been with us, namely, that of unemployment. The obligation to do what was possible undoubtedly

rested with the corporation, and was met during the first year by a loan of £2OOO and during the second year by transfers from special accounts, plus subscriptions by the public and Government subsidies.

“This record, I think, we may justly claim indicates progress and sound administration. These, however, relate to material results only. Yet civics is a matter deeply of the intellect and the emotions, and the question is : As leaders in this realm, have we helped to raise public ideals to their true standard ? For answer, let us ask ourselves : Have our burgesses pride of their town above what we have known before ? do they believe its future will be .greater than its present ? in public matters, is the general outlook less petty and just a little less selfish ? are we big enough to make welcome the stranger within our gates, and sound enough to desire to pay the price of the things we enjoy and, enrich posterity by the work we do ?

“We must accept some measure of responsibility for public thought in this direction ; and I think we may be encouraged in this respect by the tone and atmosphere existing in the body corporate of our borough. “We shall not meet here again, assembled just as we are to-night, but some of our work must endure. Yet the past with its failures and its achievements is behind us. But the future is ours, to go in and possess its possibilities, with service to our fellows through the Borough Corporation.” After the Mayoi- had read his resume Cr. Edwards said it was evident that His Worship was looking not only at the moment, but to the future. He was sure that every councillor was with him in appreciating the reading of such an illuminating and splendid document. It was worthy of preservation.

Cr. Flatt, in congratulating the Mayor, mentioned that after 14 years of hard work the Borough Council had brought what might be called ocular demonstration to the public of. what the council had accomplished. In the last two years the greatest advance had taken place ; borough roads that would compare with any in New Zealand had, been laid down, and laid down to last. Touching on finance, Mr Flatt said that that part of the council’s achievements was worthy of note. Progress and efficiency in handling' finance matters had gone hand in hand, while the watchword of the council had been co-operation. Referring to the Works Committee, Cr. Silcock said the members were to be heartily congratulated on their achievements. He hoped that if all those coming forward for renomination remained councillors the same excellent feeling and spirit of cooperation would continue between them. -

The Mayor, in the course of a short speech, said he took the opportunity of once more thanking the councillors for their unqualified and unfeigned support of him during the last two years. Sincere co-operation meant good works and achievenfent. The two years had been very strenuous, but also very happy ones, and he would like to place on record the splendid spirit that actuated councillors during that period. He hoped, if it was expected of him to continue in office, that those who accepted nomination for a further term would be returned to carry on the work. In conclusion His Worship paid tribute to the two retiring councillors, Messrs Porritt and Turner. ;