Manukau County Finance

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 365, 5 April 1918, Page 2

Manukau County Finance

! To tiik Editor"]

Sir—l quite uphold vour sensible ■lender" of last Thursday- As I asked in a letter in your columns some six months ago, "Does nut the County Council know that Now Zealand is at war ': "

In regard to Manukau (J<>unty tir.auee, I < insider it is shameful and disgraceful. The Council is apparently not satisfied to spend the ordinary rates but it wants to get Government grants and also borrow. I consider the whole course of the Manukau County Council finance is disgraceful and incompetent- The position is this. The Council took over certain roads, succeeding the forty odd years' work of the Road Boards, the valuations were put up and the rates, in the Wairoa Riding at any rate, were about six times as much per annum as the old Road Board had to do with, yet according to the County Council's balance sheet the Council not only spent its rates and Government grants but alao incurred a heavy overdraft. And, worse, people will tell you the roads are not as good now as when the Council took them over. Now the Council wants to borrow £ISOO. I consider if the Council acted wisely and economically it could, instead of going into competition with the Government for £ISOO, easily have invested £ISOO in the war loan and need have had no overdraft. To me it seems the Council's whole idea is to spend money and it has not capacity to get value in return. If the ratepayers sanction the loan they deserve all they will get. —1 am, etc.,

SA.M. A. BROWNE. ClevedoD, 30/3/18.