TOWN CLERK’S BIENNIAL REPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3626, 14 April 1927, Page 3

TOWN CLERK’S BIENNIAL REPORT.

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF COUNCIL’S WORK.

At Monday night’s Borough Council mooting the Town Clerk submitted his biennial report which read as follows: —

It is again my pleasure to submit a report on the work of the Council during tho past two years. The elections in 1925 resulted, as you know, in the return of candidates pledged to a policy of progress and economy, and it cannot be disputed that this policy has been well and faithfully carried out. Touching now on some of the many and varied performances of the Council I desire in the first instance to reiterate my remarks two years ago mentioning how the activities of the Council were rigidly confined to the available revenue, and how disheartening it sometimes is to find tlrnt the funds available do not always permit of even necessary works being carried out. However, the works carried out during the past two years with the money in hand is worthy of record as will be seen hereafter. GENERAL ACCOUNT.

The largest account in the Balance Sheet is the General Account which embraces all the activities of the Council not especially enumerated under separate headings. The principal source of revenue is General Rate, producing about £I9OO, which sum, being supplemented by license fees, building and drainage permits, dog registration, fines, etc., maintains all roads, streets and drains, and covers ordinary administration costs including office, health inspection, ranging, etc. The expenditure on road maintenance for the year ended 31st March, 1925, amounted to £1304, in 1926 it had leaped up to £1738, in 1927 it fell back to £933, but interest £3OO must be added to this latter figure making £1233 in all. Provision is made in this year’s estimates for a similar amount. Fire prevention has absorbed £251, the Fire Board levy taking £225, and the Night- Wiatchman £26. Receipts from license fees during the year ended 31st March 1926 amounted to £691, during the year just ended they amounted to £784, the principal increase being from Heavy Traffic Licenses which were respectively £378 and £423, the other license fees increasing proportionately. The Borough’s share of the Heavy Traffic License Fees is not a fair one in spite of the fight made at Palmerston North which resulted in the Boroughs receiving one third of all the fees collected in the district. Unfortunately the allocation among the Boroughs on the basis of metalled roads, and capital values has woi’kcd very much to Foxton’s detriment, and representations have accordingly been made which may bring a better result next year. The establishment of a District High School is now an accomplished fact and the Council contributes from this account £l3 per annum as a subsidy to the School Committee. As many other items in this account are dealt with elsewhere I pass on. LIBRARY. The library is slowly recovering from the second fire. After the Council Chambers were burned down the library was housed in the Town Hall and when that building was destroyed temporary premisos were secured in Main Street. The library rate produces about £SO, subscriptions £36, and this is expended on new books £67, salaries £3O, rent £l9 10s Od, sundries. £7„ showing an excess of expenditure, over receipts, of about £4O. A proposal has been considered and plans prepared for fixing up the' temporary town hall as a public reading room, library, plunket room and band practice room, at a cost of about £350, but lack of funds has precluded -this being done. The plans are filed, however, and the work can be gone on with if so desired whenever finance permits. The library account has a balance in hand of just over £IOO, but this will really be required to purchase new books for the library if the foregoing scheme is earned out. GASWORKS. This undertaking is faced with many difficulties. At no time really has the prospect been bright and with electricity firmly established as a competitor the outlook is far from rosy. The debit balance on the Ist April 1925 was £331, on Ist April 1926 £454, and on 31st March 1927 was £4Ol. The gasworks loan special rate was increased last year by over £l5O so the balance is that much worse, about £550. As foreshadowed some time ago an increase in this rate was in- s evitable, and an additional £3OO is 1 required to enable the works to be carried on, involving a total gasworks special rate of ljd in the £, which will produce about £6OB. In spite of the most careful management and nursing by the gasworks manager, we shall shortly be faced with the expenses of a hew bed of retorts, costing about £3OO, but this may possibly be.delayed for some time by relining the existing retorts, The council is fortunate in the fact that the manoger’s ser- "" vices are being availed of by the Power Board, resulting in a net saving to the works of £39 per annum. The number of consumers has not materially decreased, but the individual householders’ accounts are now much less than they were, and the consequent loss of revenue cannot well be reflected in reduced administrative costs. The gas sold during the year amounts to 3,967,700c.ft., against last year 3,996,000. In 1921 the sales were 5,362,600c.ft., a decrease of 1,394,900,

which at 7/6 per l,oooc.ft. represents a drop of over £SOO. A question that will naturally arise is whether the works should be closed down. The annual charges for interest and sinking fund now amount to about £760 a year, and until the ratepayers are called on to find a sum in excess of this it would not pay to dose down. Even should this sum be needed it must be remembered that the present loan of £II,OOO matures in 1931 when the accumulated sinking fund, will amount to nearly £B,OOO. This with Antecedent Liability of £BOO will leave a nett liability of £3,800 which will cost annually about £304. Tho seeming paradox in the foregoing figures is accounted for by the fact that the present loan carries interest nt 4& per cent, and it is doubtcontinued on page 1.)