COUNTY FINANCES.

Patea Mail, 7 October 1880, Page 2

COUNTY FINANCES.

At yesterday’s meeting of the County Council, the Chairman said the receipts for the year were estimated thus : Subsidy from Government for 4J months £543 8 7 Outstanding rates, three years 271 12 0 Hospital subsidy of £ for £ from Government 27(5 17 G Miscellaneous 250 0 0

Total receipts £1341 18 1 The present liabilities he estimated to be—

Overdraft £37 7 5 Waverley Recreation Ground... 67 5 3 Mokoia Recreation Ground...... G 12 10 Balance of Contracts and debts due ...... 475 0 0 Total liabilities £606 5 6 Out of this balance the Chairman, estimated that £4BO would bo required ns the Council’s proportion for the Hospital and as expenditure for salaries and honorarium to Councillors. This will leave a net balance of £255 12s 7d available for road works, without going into the question of a rate. He said the rateable value of occupied land and property within the County is £52,736. He left it to the Council to determine whether any and what rate should be laid. The Engineer had estimated that the necessary works on.roads, culverts, and bridges for the next year would require an expenditure of £4,592. We may point out that a sixpenny rate will be extremely inadequate to supply the required balance, for that rate would realise only about £I,3UU, which increases the available total to £1,555, as against the £4,592 required for necessary works. A deficiency of £3,000 remains to be met. Where is the £3,000 to come from ? The Colonial Treasurer has no bowels of compassion. lie guards and protects an empty bag, or one that he says is empty. He has impounded the land revenue of this County, which is a clean loss to us of forty or fifty thousand pounds in one year. He docs this without any equivalent. The tax on Government and Maori land was only a proposal which ho dropped towards the end of the session. Having made sure of our land revenue, and having dangled before us for a brief space an imaginary tax on waste lands, he withdraws that, and sticks also to our land revenue. He does this .with a full knowledge that most other counties which have enjoyed a land revenue while it was worth having are now able to jog along without laying any rate. They have had their cake, and laid part of it hy for future eating. Our cake is snatched away just when we wanted to taste, it. Such are the benefits of being specially protected and represented by a Colonial Treasurer !