The Borough Finances.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3534, 13 June 1905, Page 2

The Borough Finances.

HARD TIMES AHEAD. At kst night's meeting ot the through Council the? Treasurer subnihtcd fiio following, fjg.vtn-’S in his monthly report , The bank balances' stood ; District fund account £SO yg 6d, and streets luffit account £389 xis fid : both in credit. , Vrfdo’a? s'ep’arate acctoWatS read : Liblaiy £j-j ffe lad.. reserves £i44 : 9 S Bd, Vem'rfdfy £4 tss 4 d > interest £lO2 3s, all in c’mAt/. giU‘ general account .£260 17s id at acl At.' With the accounts passed last evening the overdraft on the general account M nmV £330 Os id. In presenting this stdtcnlerh flic- Treasurer that the strictest eVdpprriy w'tftlJd be necessary to make both erfoS rife'et at the end of the financial yeaf. L'dsi night’s pay-shee t included the filial payments on account of the streets Joans. The original amount of the loan Was I joao, and the council had sinCe borrowe'd £;joc? from the Government, biit the' fo'ads dilcl streets had cost £546! cjs 9'd,; so that the general fund had suffered to the extent of £l6l gs yd. The following was the expenditure on the various rbadsf and streets, showing the difference between estimates and actual costs : Various roads and streets, estimate £1142, cost £1248 ios yd, excess £iofi 10s yd. No i Line. £7BO, £526 ns nd, /"14611s 11. Nos.’ i? aliil 6 Lines, £IO7B, £1286 ys 3d, £2OB ys jth The items in the last-named contract were i Contract price £1094, supervision £57 js 6d, royalty on metal £66 11s 3d, spreading £36 gs 6d, error in distance on plan £43 10s, advertising £6 13s. The Mayor explained how one of the mistakes had arisen in connection with the acceptance of the last contracts.

An impression in this instance was that the contractor’s price was only £4O or £SO more than the estimate. As a matter of fact royalties, etc., had brought the cost up to more like £l6O more than the estimates. Then a section of work set down in the plans as 4 chains was discovered to be 14 chains—-a considerable difference—and the council apparently had no option but to pay. The error, however, was entirely attributable to the engineer who laid off the work. After some desultory discussion the treasurer’s report was adopted.