THE BOROUGH FINANCES
I'll. DOCKUILI/S CIUTICJSM. WJien the borough estimates ana expenditure came on for consideration on Tuesday Cr. Dockrill said he was induced to look closely into the financial affairs of the borough lately from the repeated statement of the Mayor that he was anxious, wlu'u he left office, to I leave no overdraft. It was for the Council to say whether bis investigations were correct or not. Jie had found that the revenue account was in debt to the amount of £2400, even though the overdraft at the Bank on the district fund account was only £l6B. He held that if the revenue account assimilated the balances in the several district fund accounts, it wis as much in debt as if it had obtained the casih from the Bank, and therefore it was a fallacy and a delusion to say that the Council was not in debt to that amount. He found that they had used up nearly £I7OO of the electric light money, ana about £3OO of the abattoir balance, while the balance of the ipast year showed a deliciency of £4ll iji tha revenue account, milking the total £2411. Now, if they looked, they could see iliow this money was spent. The engineer had spent on the streets last year £750 over the amount voted, and in the previous year £IOO over the amount voted. This sum more than accounted for the electric light balance. Then the Council voted £3OO for sewage above the amount on the estimates, and the revenue account showed a shortage of £4ll to meet its liabilities, making the -total as before mentioned. The year's I estimates showed a deliciency of over [£looo. equal to an 8d rate, but he considered this was' overstated by at leant i £(i!10, as there was £3OO included for the widening of d'ill street, which the Harbor Board had agreed to accept next year, whilst the Mayor estimated his receipts this year at £328 less than the actual receipts of last year. He thought a deficiency of £IOOO (equal to a 5d rate if they met their engagements tin? year) was' a formidable amount to face. •He therefore moved that His Worship the Mayor and Crs. Brown, Betlringer, Wilson and the mover he a committee to reconsider the estimates with a view of making the revenue and expenditure balance. Cr. Bellringer, while he could not agree with Cr. Dockrill's motion, admitted that his statements were correct, and he was pleased that he had brought the matter up. Tt would have the effect of pillowing councillors 'that they would have to keep within their estimates of expenditure, or they would land the Council in a larger deficiency. He also considered the Council could raise a loan to pav off an overdraft without any vote from the ratepayers. ■Cr. Wilson did not question the accuracy of Cr. Dockrill's figures, but he did not desire to see the estimates altered this year. The time had come when the Council had to call a halt and set their faces' firmly against any extra expenditure. The motion was not carried.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 39, 26 May 1910, Page 8
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519THE BOROUGH FINANCES Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 39, 26 May 1910, Page 8
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