BOROUGH FINANCES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 826, 14 April 1910, Page 3

BOROUGH FINANCES.

At Monday night’s Council meeting the Town Clerk presented his annual balance-sheet for the year ended March 31st, 1910. This discloses a very satisfactory state of affairs, and should be particularly interesting to ratepayers.

The general account opened with a debit balance of £iS is 1 id, and closed with a debit ot £9 8s gd. There are, however, several sums to be refunded from the various separate accounts, which will put the general account in credit to the extent of about £7O. The total receipts for the year were £1725 15s 3d, the chief items being •• Rates, £854 3s ; Government subsidy on same, £ll4 6s 3d; licenses, £212 11s fid; rents, £ios 7s ; refunds, £303 r 7 s 2d. The chief items of expenditure were maintenance of roads, streets and drains, £929 16s yd ; salaries and office expenses, £l7O 3s rod ; street lighting, £149 128 fid ; printing and advertising, £72 3s fid ; Palmerston North Hospital, £54 13s id ; interest and sinking fund Council Chamber, £ 120 ; and various smaller amounts, bringing the total up to £1725 15s 3d. The Library account shows a debit of £33, which, in order to comply with the requirements of the Government Audit Department, has been voted from general account. The receipts, including this amount, totalled £BB 19s fid, the other items being : Rates, £35 ns 9d ; subscriptions, £l6 19s lod ; and sale of waste paper and catalogues, £3 7s nd. The expenditure was as follows : Firing and lighting, £23 13s yd ; books, magazines, etc., £26 3s yd ; secretary, £ls ; caretaker, £lO ; and other small sums, tuakiug a total of ,£BB 19s fid. The reserves account opened with a credit balance of ,£B9 5s id, and at the close of the year a sum of £2B 10s had to be voted from general account to square the account. The receipts were : Rents, £■l32 4s ; half share fence, £6 igs ■ and Arbor Day donations, £2 3s fid. The expenditure included : Artesian well, £l6O 533 d ; labour, material, and tools, £49 15s 3d ; fencing, £24 ; secretary, £ls ; and smaller amounts, making a total of £259 is yd. The cemetery account shows a credit balance of £ls 19s fid. The receipts totalled £55 ss, made up of; Burial sites, £26 ; rent of reserve, £l7 ; burial fees, £lO 5s ; aud sale ot hay, £2. The expenditure was made up of: Sexton, £ls ss; secretary, £ls; labour, £8 15s fid ; and bank fee ss, leaving £ls 19s fid to be carried forward to next year.

The sanitary rate was not sufficient to cover the expenditure on the sanitation account, and an amount of £4 had to be voted from the general account. The rates collected amounted to £293 7s fid, and the expenditure was made up as follows: Wages, £259 ; horse feed, £33 16s ; and miscellaneous, £4 9s gd.

The statement of assets and liabilities show assets totalling £2335 18s rod, and liabilities of £rt 5s fid. The public debt on March 31st, 1910, amounts to £7196 ns ird.

The above figures are still subject to audit, but may be taken as correct. Considering the amount of work that has been carried out during the past year, the Mayor aud Councillors are to be congratulated in being able to submit so satisfactory a balancesheet.