THE BOROUGH FINANCES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 19, 17 July 1912, Page 1

THE BOROUGH FINANCES.

At Wednesday night's meeting of the Borough Council the Mayor mentioned in view of the approaching public meeting that the Council would have to consider what proposals they were going to lay before the public. He had prepared a statement con- I taining his views and proposals- He | would read it and the Councillors ; could amond or alter as they thought . fit, After the Mayor had read his j suggestions, considerable discussion j ensued, the various items of the proposed loan expenditure being takeu seriatim. The report as finally amended and adopted reads as follows : I propose to 'submit a rough state- j ment and estimate of the position, and | what is required to place our muni- j cipal affairs on a sound workable basis. j Had it been possible it might have'j been preferable that this matter j should have been held over until the | borough had been divided into sub- i divisions, and havo allowed each sub- ' division to sanction what works and : loans its ratepayers thought proper. | without coercing or being coerced by i other portions of the district; but owing to the time which must elapse I before this subdivision could be effect- j ed, and the urgency for prompt action, j this could not very well be done But if we can devise a plan of operations ) whereby all portions of the borough j could share equally in the -benefits j and responsibilities I cannot see that j any injustice would result. It seoms to be that the? best way to achieve this end would be to raise a , loan of sufficient amouut to thoroughly construct and repair what might be j termed the main approaches or arterial j roads of the Borough, roads that the majority of the inhabitants would be using regularly and continuously. The roads that would best answer these requirements and their approximate cost are as follows : £ Seddon-street, from old town boundary to Seddon lamp 5-s'* j From- Seddon-street along Keneally's road, turning to the right past Ryan's and to the left ovor Hickey's bridge, and to the right to old town boundary M 0 West road from Seddon lamp to borough boundary . . 800 Puni road 400 Queen-street from Seddon lamp to Bilkey's corner .. 500 Manukau or Swamp road from East-street to about Hamilton's" entrance .. so ° East-street from Manukau road to borough boundary >OO Harris-street (in addition to unexpended allocation I>y Town Board of £300) 200 At the meeting of the Council on July 3rd, the foreman was instructed to prepare an estimate of the cost of putting various roads in a thorough state of repair, but owing to the gentleman selected for that position not taking up his duties these estimates j have not yet been prepared. In ad- j dition to the above it will be remembered that when the loans were raised by the late Town Board, quite a number of allocations tor various roads were made but that owing to unexpected demands arising and also to works being charged against those allocations that had been performed j previous to the poll for the loans being taken. Several of the roads have j not received the benefits of the expenditure which the property owners interested expected, and I think that in any new loan proposals wo should make provision for the reinstatement of the whole of these unspent allocations which I understand amount to about £1750 to £2OOO. This amount for the Town Roads and to replace amount which should have been reserved for these particular roads would be a charge on the Town Board district only. In connection with our water supply scheme the amount of the original loan was £6500, and the liabilities contracted to date total about £10,250, leaving a deficit to be provided- for of £3,7-50, and if the 'ilill and adjacent portions of the borough dosiro an extension of the water supply the cost will be at least another £2,500. Summarised the estimated amount required to be raised immediately, or in the near future are Main Roads . To roplace allocations spent elsewhere than on the roads for which thoy were borrowed " say.' ' 1 • 1 " To provide for deficit on existing liabilities in connection with water supply 1 ,, °"

♦ STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR.

SUGGESTED LOAN PROPOSALS

DISCUSSED BY THE COUNCIL.

Extension of supply to adjacent districts. To be left in aboyance until the public meeting 2500 12,250 Or if for any reason the extension is not derided on, less 2,-500 9,7.50 Of course it is very probable that the above figures may be considerably altered when we obtain a more reliable estimate of the cost of the works and a correct statement of the accounts of the late Town Board. It may be necessary to mention that in connection with Mauukau-road, that the Road Board have arranged for a direct road from Buckland through Messrs Hamilton Bros', and other properties, connecting with this road, which will, as soon as it is available for traffic, take practically the whole of the cattle, and much of the other traffic coming into our town from Buckland, Tuakau, Harrisville ami other districts, and thus materially lessen the cost of maintenance on what is known as the main I'ukekoheTuakau road. In framing those proposals I have not overlooked the fact that the people were told prior to the formation of the Borough that so far as the promoters could foresee there would be no need for any increase of rates or that liabilities already exist over the major portion of the Borough for loans already expended- Referring to the first of these, it is undoubtedly true that owing to circumstances, the existence of which few if any of us suspected, an increase in our rates is absolutely inevitable in order to meet our liabilities in connection with the water supply, and to keep our streets in a reasonably passable state. It must not be forgotten that owing to the extreme productiveness of our soil, the energy and capability of our farmers, combined with our favorable situation, that we grow more crops than are grown on any similar area in the province. In making some rough calculations the othsr night I estimated that the traffic over one road to and from one little area of about 2.5 acres would equal not less than 600 or 000 tons per annum. This is all very pleasant and very profitable, but it entails a very great expense for the maintenance of our roads and streets, and if we do not provide the funds to repair the roads, we simply cannot get our crops out or our manures, etc., m.

In connection with the question of rates, I would suggest that when wo obtain the valuation rolls of the Borough, that the Council should strike a rate that will yield an amount totalling little, if any, in excess of that which would have been paid under the old valuation, and place our position and our proposals as judicially and impartially before the ratepayers as we know now and leave the result entirely in their hands. They are the people who have to provide the funds, and they should have the power to say what liabilities they wish to have, and what they are willing to pay for them, and I havo no doubt they will recognise the position and rise to the occasion. Before leaving the question of roads I wish to say that I recognise that there are quite a number of roads which it is very desirable should be included in our proposals, but I think that in the present state of our tinances we should confine ourselves to the main roads first, and leave these other reads for the present, at least, to the amounts raised by the allocations and general rates, otherwise we will find that our rates are becoming a rent, and it is a question whether, considering the flat nature of the township and the increasing density of the population, we should not now take into consideration the questions of improved drainage and a sanitary system. Referring to the question of water supply, under an arrangement made between the late Town Board and the Road Hoard (an arrangement which all parties are bound to respect) any ratepayers outside the town area desiring the use of the water would have to pay such rates as would from time to time be demanded, but those outsido ratepayers have the right under the above arrangement to participate in all the benefits of the water supply system upon equal terms upon payment of such sum or sums as may be'mutually arranged, etc., and probably the simplest and best way would be if those portions of the outside districts requiring water were to decide to come into the water area at once and create one special water area, and raise sufficient money to pay off the old loan and complete the entiio scheme, but failing the increase of the area the position would be that the old Town district would practically control the water service and be responsible for the liabilities connected therewith, but it is hoped that sooner or later the water scheme may not only be self-supporting, but become a source of profit.