TOWN CLERK’S ANNUAL REPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3781, 19 April 1928, Page 3

TOWN CLERK’S ANNUAL REPORT.

A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW 1 . The following report on the Borough Council’s finances for the year ended March 31st, was submitted to, the Council by the Town Clerk (Mr. Wm. Trueman) at Monday evening’s meeting:— GENERAL ACCOUNT. “The- year opened with a debit balance of £123 and closed with a debit of £22. The General Rate, estimated to produce £1796 returned only £1615 in cash while £lßl is outstanding. Road maintenance shows an increase on ffist year’s figures of £56. License fees show an increase of £34, while fees, fines , and permits show a drop of £62, from £l2O to £SB, fines recovered from the Magistrate’s Court falling from £53 to £5. Office expenses fell from £lO4 to £54, and printing and advertising has dropped from £lls to £44. Legal expenses have risen from £37 to £Blj due to the large amount of rates outstanding necessitating legal proceedings for recovery. Fifteen building permits were issued during the year covering an amount of £2580, comprising three new dwellings. This is about half last year’s total. The Fire Board levy, is practically the same £2BB. Audit fees, however, amount to £23, solely due to increase in turnover and the multiplicity of accounts required to be kept. The sum of £22 has been paid to the School Committee as subsidy towards the rent of the High School premises, but with the erection of the new school this payment ceases. Unauthorised expenditure amounts to £6 15s 9d. SWIMMING BATHS.

“This account forms part of the General Account. The sum of £935 was handed over to the Council by the Carnival (Committee and the capital cost of the baths, complete, amounts to £IO2O, a deficit of £BS. Admissions amount to £133, .while maintenance charges and caretaker absorb £22. As another £3O has still to be paid out •to the caretaker to make up his salary of £49 per annum, the total expenses will amount to £6O, so that £73 will be available towards the deficit of £BS mentioned a.bove. It is unfortunate that no subsidy is to be received from the Education Board especially as swimming has, I believe, now been added to the curriculum. The baths ■•have undoubtedly proved a success this year. Mr. Neville has given up many of his evenings, Sundays and other holidays for cleaning tlje baths, emptying and filling them so that they shall be properly appreciated. The caretaker has also carried out his duties conscientiously and efficiently. The only other item of note in the General Account is the transfer of £154 to ; complete the work done under the Roads and Streets Loan of £5,000. This amount represents the sum by which the estimate of £5,000 was exceeded, about 3 per cent. 1 When this is compared with the excess on. the work done by the Horowhenua County Council, south of Levin, the result is commendable. HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES. “Under recent instructions from the Audit Department a separate account has to be kept in the books for fees collected in Foxton, which are held in trust until apportioned between the various local bodies in the No. 10 District. - Fees collected amount to £31115s 6d, from which 5 per cent, is deducted for collection, the balance being remitted to the Kairanga County Council. The amount received back, £llO, represents the Council’s share of these fees. LIBRARY ACCOUNT. “Subscriptions amount to £4l, against £37 last year. The Special Rate has returned £49, of which £33 has been spent in nety books, the balance of the revenue going in rent, salaries, etc. The balance in hand is £lO4, against an opening balance of £lO2. RESERVES ACCOUNT. “Revenue from Reserves by way of rent totals £lB6 10s of which about one half is handed to the general revenue as rates. The credit balance has fallen from £l4O to £BB, the principal items of expenditure being the roadway into Easton Park, £SO, contribution caretaker’s salary £25, memorial tablets £l3, trees £l4, fencing £lO,l wages £27. I

CEMETERY ACCOUNT. “The credit balance in this account has increased by £29 from £134 to £163. The sale of plots £54, tent of reserve £36, providing the major portion of the revenue. Expenditure has, however, increased by £l3 of, which £lO is absorbed by the work done in the cemetery by the road foreman’s department in clearing up. The Manawatu County Council has this year for the first time made a grant of £5 towards the cost of maintaining the cemetery, and this is much appreciated. gasworks account;.

“The receipts and payments account must not be confused with the revenue and expenditure account, show an increase in the debit balance from £4Ol to £641. Last year a transfer of £427 was made to the Interest Account, but as the Gas Rate was doubled last year only £153 has been transferred from the Gas Account to the Interest Account. The difference has of course been made up by the ratepayers. Until the April meter reading is all accounted for I can give but approximate figures in the

Trading Accounts. Gas sales amount to £2107 (a drop of £24); services and fittings £123 (a drop of £11); residuals £440 (a drop of £153); weighbridge fees £ll 10s Od (an increase of £7); sundries £6O (a drop of £36). The total income is £2741. Expenditure is as follows: —Goal £1177 (a drop of £177); wages £631 (a drop of

£15); services and-fittings £2OO (a drop of £5); repairs and renewals £227 (a drop of £22); other items being fairly even. Total expenditure, excluding depreciation (£315) is £2681. This shows a gross profit of £6O. From this must be deducted interest and . sinking fund payments aggregating £750, making a nett loss of £690. The sum of £6OB has been collected by way of Special Rate from the ratepayers to keep the concern afloat. It must be mentioned, however, that the Sinking Fund in the hands of the Public Trustee to repay the loan of £II,OOO now amounts to £SBOO, this sum being augmented by annual contributions of £220, accumulating at compound interest at 51 per cent. TOWN HALL ACCOUNT. “The sum of '£Bsl has been transferred from the Picture Account to'the Hall Account representing a rental return to the Council for the use of the Hall of about £l6 10s Od a week. Capital expenditure out of revenue on the new hall amounts to £76. Insurance £45, rates £l9. The sum of £722 has been transferred to the Interest Accounts leaving a credit balance in the Hall Account of £9B, against an opening balance of £96. Interest charges on the Hall amount to £498 per annum. During the year 49,947 admission tickets were sold. On the 20th February last the Council secured the Royal Theatre for seven years at an annual rental of £250. The figures above include one month’s rent for the Royal. WATERWORKS ACCOUNT.

“The year opened with a credit balance of £94 and closed with a credit of £316. Wages remain constant at £358. The sum of £9l has been spent in extensions, fuel and lighting total £177, the same as last year. The sum of £712 has been collected as Water SupplyRate, a decrease of £ls. The sale of water has, however, increased by £23, from £57 to £BO. Total expenditure is £917, total receipts £1139. WORKER’S DWELLING. “The re-instatement of the Town Hall cottage in the form of* a worker’s dwelling is now an accomplished fact and is much appreciated by the caretaker, the loan raised being £BOO, at 6 per cent, for 10 years. A contract was let for the house at £635, and this with architect’s fee, £26, fencing and paths £l4, with sundries left the sum of £l2O unexpended. This has, however, been handed over to the Public Trustee as sinking fund commissioner at 5£ per cent, interest, supplemented by annual payments of £l6. The rent is about sufficient to meet the outgoings on this basis. ESTIMATES. “The amount paid out in Interest on loans is very considerable, amounting in all to £4208. When it is noted that the total income of the Council from all sources is £11,544, it will readily be seen what a large portion of the Council’s revenue has to be paid out in interest. Owing to valuations being reduced it has been necessary to increase the amount in the £ of Special Rate levied for the coming year, and in carrying out the Council’s instruction that the total rates must not be increased, a reductino in the General Rate to be levied is unavoidable. This reduction is from 4 5-8 to 4. 11/64d, amounting to £lßl. The estimates of expenditure on General Account have accordingly to be curtailed. It has not been possible to balance the estimates, although most carefully drawn up. The deficit amounts to £29. On the other hand the debit balance in General Account has fallen from £122 to £22, iwhile the District Fund Account, opened the year with a debit of £l9O and finished with a debit of £lls, so that unless anything very unforeseen ■ occurs the position at the end of this year should be much the same as it is now. Detailed estimates, together with the balance-sheet for the year just ended are submitted for approval.

“In conclusion it is again my pleasure to voice on behalf of the office and outside staff our cordial appreciation of the harmony and spirit of co-operation existing between the Council and its employees. Before the end of the coming year I shall have completed nine years’ service with you, during which period I have endeavoured to carry out faithfully your wishes from time to time. The duties now devolving upon me are many and considerably more varied than when I first came here, but with tbe help of my fellow employees and the consideration extended by the Council to its servants, the citizens of the borough have received our very best efforts on their behalf.”