WAIMEA COUNTY RATES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 12 January 1931, Page 8

WAIMEA COUNTY RATES

(To the Editor) Sir.—lt is very encouraging to find that the Waimea County Council lias decided to discuss the several requests of the Dovedale, Pokororo and Ngatinloti Farmers’ Unions viz: “(1) to economise.; (2) not to press for payment of the extra 10 per cent on overdue rates; and (3) to reduce administrative staff salaries” and also. to deal with Councillor Higgins’s notice of motion to reduce “all wages, salaries and honoraria” fit the next meeting of the Council. As to the chairman’s statement that the Waimea County Council’s cost of administration was “much below the average,” (he “New Zealand Local Authorities Handbook, 1927” (tho latest Government County statistics to hand) shows that the cost of administration in the Waimea County was 8.20 per cent, of the total payments and that of Cook County only 4.66 per cent, (about half as much). Yet the “Mail” news dated Gisborne, 18th December, 1930, shows that the Cook County Council has decided to reduce the salaries and wages from Ist February on a sliding .scale, viz., “up to £3OO, 10 percent ; £4OO, 12g per cent; £4OO and over 15 per cent” and also to suspend the 10 per cent, penalty on overdue rates. As to Councillor Everett’s opinion that it is “not legal to dispense with the 10 per cent.” section 28 (1) of the Rating Amendment Act 1910 reads as follows: “An additional charge of ten per centum may be added to all rates unpaid at the expiration of six months and fourteen 'days from the demand thereof, and shall be payable and recoverable accordingly; but such additional charge of ten percentum shall not be recoverable until a local authority has publicly notified that the same will be added.” The Waimea County Council has not yet “publicly notified” such 10 per cent, penalty. Therefore the ratepayers who interviewed the Council last Thursday were quite in order and certainly justified by the present outlook, in requesting that such penalty be not imposed upon the unfortunate farmers who are not able to pay the full amount of thenrates within the “six months and fourteen days” this year. And in view of the chairman’s assurance that the Council is “out to help the ratepayers” wo have every reason to believe and expect that such help will be forthcoming and that the Council will suspend the 10 per cent. penalty referred* to by simply omitting to “publicly notify” same.

It is always unpleasant to reduce salaries or wages, but every sane person will admit the dire necessity for drastic action to save the situation and restoro the prosperity of the country. And wo believe the Waimea County Council will have the courage to “face the music.” —I am, etc., H. G. BERRYMAN. Kohatu. 10th January.