THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 39, 14 February 1913, Page 6

THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

STATEMENT BY 'THE MAYOR. WATER AND DRAINAGE THE first considerations. In view of the fact that the loan proposals would be advertised in the course of a few days, a reporter ol the “Stratford Evening Post” this morning waited on His \\ orship the Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) with the request that possibly His Worship might see fit to make a few remarks with reference to the Loan. Mr Kirkwood said that as far a; the Council was concerned the whole of the proposals that would be pul before the ratepayers had been threshed out at the Council table, and had been carried by a majority. In each case the whole of the work had been carefully scheduled and would ho carried out accordingly. 1 As far as carrying the whole of tin loan was concerned—that was tlic total of £42,ooo—that work woulc. rest entirely with the ratepayers, but, personally, he' was of the opinion that the water and drainage should have first, consideration. These were two essentials to any town. In the matter of the increase in the rates .by reason of any portion oi the loan being carried, the Town Clerk had worked these.,out separately, and when the proposals were advertised the ratepayers would know just bow much their rates would be increased by reason of the carrying out of any portion of the loan. Although the carrying of the whole loan, or of any portion of the loan, would of course increase the rates, Mr Kirkwood went on to say that, nevertheless, the rates in the aggregate -would not be great in comparison with those of other towns. This would he seen from a table (compiled by the Town Clerk), of other towns’ rating on unimproved values and of approximately the same unimproved value as Stratford, and about the same population, showing that our rates compared very favourably indeed.

Seeing that the whole of the proposals have been taken in open Council, and the whole discusisons and the decisions arrived at have appeared in the press, Mr Kirkwood added that he did not consider it necessary for him to call a publicmeeting of the ratepayers to lay'the position before them. COMPARISON OF BOROUGH RATES. WHAT OTHERS PAY. The following figures to which reference is made in foregoing, were compiled by the Clerk. ft is possible that some of the boroughs mentioned are rating on the improved value, but the majority of them at least are rated on the unimproved system. It must be remembered that some of the boroughs have possibly many improvements that Stratford has not, and the purpose of compiling the figures is mainly to show that Stratford could afford to have a few improvements without making the ratepayers pay more than the citizens of ether towns : No. of 1911-12 Popu- "Rate- Total Towns. lation. payors. Rates. £ Whangarci ... 2664 630 3639 Newmarket ... ■ 2780 471 5633 Hawcra ... 2685 511 4269 Feilding ... 3161 850 5672 Dannevirke ..i 3368 650 5675 El t ham ... 1737 386 2823 Stratford ... 2639 670 3309 An average amount paid by eacb ratepayer in the above is as follows: Boroughs. £ s - ( 1Newmarket ... ... H 19 0 Dannevirke ... ... 814 < Hawera ... ••• 717 9 Eltham 7 6 3 Feilding '... ••• 613 6 Whangarci ... ... 515 6 Stratford ... ••• 418 9 !n Now Plymouth the average paid by each ratepayer is £8 6s JOd, and at Inglewood, £7 2s 4d. The above figures are compiled from the 1912 official year hook.