MAYOR'S HONORARIUM

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 99, 11 December 1953, Page 3

MAYOR'S HONORARIUM

Sir, — It is with some regret, in view of the excellent record of unpaid service by Mr Story, that one should feel impelled to protest emphatically against the amount of honorarium voted for the Mayoral office in Taupo. At. this stage of its progress Taupo simply cannot afford to pay almost the maximum permissable rate. The £450 a year proposed by Mr Swan for the position is well above w what has been granted in the early years of development of other larger boroughs. It would be interesting, Sir, if you could append a footnote or paragraph of honorariums granted to Mayors of other newly-created boroughs in the past. Havelock North is quite a recently created borough, and considerably better off financially than ourselves. Up to the present our adult sister of Rotorua has granted only £250. . With such a colossal amount of development required in the borough our councillors should be required to keep the expenditure of the ratepayers' money within our means, rather than up to our aspirations. Ratepayers and councillors should keep in mind that once the mayoral honorarium is definitely fixed it will certainly not be reduced in the future. Taupo's financial position is such that it cannot allow its gratitude to Mr Story, which gave him the office unopposed, to be the means of having itself heavily overburdened in the years to come. I am, etc.,

DAVID

RILEY.

Taupo, Nov. 28, 1953. [Note. — At the first ordinary monthly meeting of the new Borough Council, held on November 18th, the Mayor, Mr J. E. Story, gave Notice of Motion that the resolution passed at the statutory meeting held November 9th, fixing the mayoral honorarium be rescinded. The motion of which notice has been given will come before the Couneil's ordinary meeting on December 16th. The following data as to honoraria, population, and valuations may be of interest. Taupo's population is not definitely known but may be about, 2000. Its rateable value (unimproved) is £524,615, and its nett capital value is £1,407,925. Havelock North, honorarium £100, Rateable value £440,590 Putaruru, Hon. £100, rateable value £333,095. Rotorua, Hon. £400, Rateable value (unimpd.) £2,454,100. Woodville, Hon. £100, population 1300, Capital value £730,000. Ohakune, Hon. £104, pop. 670, Capital value £390,000. Waipawa, Hon. £120 pop. 1500, Cap. value £771,000. Taihape, Hon. £150, pop. 2360, Capital value £1,480,000. Waihi, Hon £210, pop. 3800, Cap. value £1,280,000. Thames, Hon. £225, pop. 4600, Cap. value £1,027,000]