HELENSVILLE TOWN BOARD.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 16 March 1916, Page 2

HELENSVILLE TOWN BOARD.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT BY

THE CHAIRMAN

At the monthly meeting of the Helensville Town Board, held on Thursday last, the Chairman (Mr E. Thurlow. Field) made an important statement regarding the financial position of the Town District. In September, 1914, when the Board took office, they found the finances in a deplorable condition. The Bank account was overdrawn to practically its limit, and in addition the late Board had incurred debts to very much more more than another year's income. For there ■were outstanding debts,. in addition to the overdraft, of no less than £540. In addition to this, the late Board had neglected its duty to provide a sinking fund for the repayment of the loan of £4,300, and on this account a further sum of £30 was due. This made the total indebtedness left by the late Board about £570 in addition to the overdraft. The law does not permit local bodies to incur current liabilities to the extent of more than a year's revenue, while the total debts of the late Board, including the overdraft, was more than two years' revenue. ' If the members of the late Board had got their clear rights they would each have been liable to refund to the Town District a sum of upwards of £100. (Commissioner Elliott here interjected : " They should have been made to pay "). The Chairman went on to say that the breaches of duty committed by the late Board were not confined to overspending, they had done other illegal acts in connection with .finance, an d the whole financial position of the Board when the late Board went out of office, was one of absolute confusion, Now, however, he was pleased to be able to inform the Board that all debts, with the exception of the overdraft, 'had been paid, and provision had been made for all liabilities accruing due, including sinking fund on loan money held in trust for completion of Nelson Street, and the N balance necessary to pay the labour account on Awaroa Road drainage. In eighteen months of office the present Board had not only maintained the ro ads, streets, and footpaths in as good a condition as any previous Board had done, but they had done this and at the same time paid-off debts left by the late Board amounting to over a year's ordinary income. In other words, while the late Board had in every twelve months spent at least eighteen months' revenue, the present Board had in eighteen months only spent six months' revenue, and had devoted the balance to payment of debts left by the late Board. Thanks to the exertions of the present Board, Helensville was to-day in as.good a financial position as any Town District in New Zealand.

' Com. Elliott here interjected: " Yet the ECHO says this Town Board is doing nothing."

The Chairman replied: The Echo does not know how heavily in debt we were left, nor how we have been struggling along carrying the burden left by the late Boad.

The Chairman then proceeded to call the attention of the Board to a statement in last week's Eoho, that the Town Board were to blame for not fixing the half-holiday this year. In reply he would state that the Board fixed the holiday last year, and as no objection was made to the Board this year to the existence of the.Saturday half-holiday, the public were apparently satisfied. In the event of no change being required it was absolutely unnecessary to take any steps with respect to the half-holiday. The Minister for Labour would automatically fix the halfholiday for Saturday again. This was the usual practice, which had been followed in 272 cases by other local bodies this year, including 90 counties out of 121.