WAITEMATA COUNTY COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 15 August 1918, Page 2

WAITEMATA COUNTY COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION.

To the Editor.

SIR, —Would you kindly allow me a little space to further prove my statements that we could not get the audited balance sheets to compare with the Councillors monthly balance sheets. On examination of the 1915 balance sheet of 31st March, I find it was approved by the Council on July 14th, .1916, or sixteen months after the end of the financial year. The 1916 balance sheet was approved by the Council on 11th May, 1917, or fourteen months after the end of the financial year, and it is tagged by th|} Auditor-General for being late with the threat "of prosecution, and as I have already stated there is a letter on the Council files from the AuditorGeneral threatening the Councillors with prosecution on account of the balance sheets being late. —I am, etc., James McLeod. Helensville, August 12, 1918. TO THE EDITOR SIR, —I beg space to comment on the circular sent out with the rate notice to the ratepayers; by the Chairman of the Waiteraata County Council, which says : —" The result of our organiser's work so far shows that the'expenditure of the past two years has been much above our resources." I should like to point out to ratepayers that at the date of the new Council taking office, and at its first meeting on December 8,1917, the County debit at the Bank was only £2181 —inoluding purchase of office site, which cost £1600—with the right to draw up to the limit of £9000, and the greater part of rates to come in. This was the best financial position the Council had been in for years, or likely to be in under the present administration. Now, with the present debit at the Bank of £7279 7s 2d, at last meeting, minus June's accounts, I shall leave it to the ratepayers to judge who has been spending much above their resources. I feel it my duty, in fairness to late Councillors and myself, to make these remarks. Organisers may shovel the debt from one Riding to another, rightly or wrongly, but they cannot alter the amount shown above. —I am, etn.,

1 . Marshall Laikg, Late chairman WaitematajOountyJCouncil