THE COUNTY RATES.

Shannon News, 28 May 1926, Page 1

THE COUNTY RATES.

LEVIES STRUCK FOR 1926-47.

SEPARATE RATE FOR HOSPITAL.

A special 'meeting of the Horowhenua County Council on Wednesday dealt with the estimates far the current year and struck the rates. In all the ridings except Tokomaru the amount to be collected is very much the same as last year. In Tokomaru, however, there is a substantial increase, but even this only brings the rate in the £1 up to par with the other ridings. The reason lor the increase this year 1 is that itwo years ago the Tokomaru rate was fd, but a considerable amount of work scheduled for the riding was not carried out. and- a good deal of it has been held over for the past two years. The result was that last year Tokomaru commenced the period with a credit balance af £3OOO and the rate was reduced to ?>d. Wow that more work is contemplated there and ,the credit ! balance is reduced to £SSO, it is necessary to increase the rate to something I like the previous figure. Another feature this year is the striking of a special rate for hospital purposes. The iPalmerston hospital levy now totals £3377, and it is felt that this is too much to take out of the general account. Under the new system each ratepayer will see on his rate notice the exact amount lie is paying towards the up-keep of the. Palmerston Hospital, and which the County merely collects and hands on to the Hospital Board. The hospital rate will be eleven sixty-f ouiu'hs of a penny in the pound, or lid in every £64 of rateable value. The County Treasurer (Mr F. H. Hudson) submitted the Estimates and proposed rates to Wednesday's meeting. TOKOMARiU'S POSITION. In .the Tokomaru Riding the suggested rate was fd which was estimated to yield £4234, plus the hospital' rate of £577, the total last year, including the hospital rate, being £2834. Cr. Barber (Tokomaru) said to add 75 per cent, to the rates was pretty solid. He did not know if the Engineer could help them at all. Cr. Whyte (Tokomaru) pointed out mat with the hospital rate ihfs meant eleven-twelfths of a penny in the £1 as against a naif-penny (or sixtwelfths) last year. -.' The chairman said Tokomaru had a. large surplus 'brought forward two years ago and had reduced the rate to a half-penny from, three-farthings. They had suffered in their subsidy on account of that. After consultation with the Engineer, the Tokomaru councillors reduced the proposed expenditure- in their riding of £5819 by £370, which permitted of one-sixteenth of a penny being taken off the N rate. This was then adopted at eleven-sixteenths of a penny plus* hospital rate, as against eight- sixteenths last year. WIROKINO A LITTLE LESS. In the Wiroikino Riding the total expenditure was set down at £8605. of which £4510 was for public works. The general rate proposed was elevensixteenths of a penny as against four-teen-sixteenths last year. This would yield £5489 as' against £6986 last your, but to the former amount £1373 must be added for the hospital rate, making this year's total £5862. "So small a difference that you are hardly able to see. it," remarked tlv 1 chairman, when Cr. Galley expressed the hope that "Wirokino's rates were not increased.

Gr. McLeav-ey (one of the new coui;cillons): "We can say 1:1 icy are lower, anyway." (Laughter). The Wirokino rate was adapted. OTAKI RIDING. In the Otaki Riding a general rate ■of )3d in the £1 will produce £1930, to which £533 must he added for hospital purposes. The ,rate is less than last, year when it was Jd (or six-eighths), though the hospital rate brings it up to very nearly the same fraction as last year. The Otaki rates .were adopted. TE HIORO RIDING. In Te Horo the new .rate will be *d in the £1 as against |d lust year. The total amount collected will bo £2BO less than last year. Tiie new rate was adopted. COMPARISON OF RATES. The following table shows the toial amounts to be collected in each riding this year for general and hospij tal purposes as compared with the corresponding- amount' 'levied last year:—

1925-26 1926-2 - £ £ Tokoinaru ... ... 2S34 " 4811 Wirokino ... ... 6936 6862 Otaki ... 2316 2463 Te Horo ... ... 3290 3009