BOROUGH WORKS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3199, 27 May 1909, Page 3

BOROUGH WORKS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE.

At a meeting of the Works and Finance Committee of the JVlasterton Borough Council held on Tuesday last, there Were present:—The Mayor (in the chair), Councillors Elliott, Ewington, Pauling, Pragnell, Prentice, Rigg, Temple, and Yarr. . A report of the Town Clerk and Borough Engineer, dated the 18th inst, in the following terms was submitted, received, and adopted:— The Committees will see from the Treasurer's statement of balances that but £2BB of the £25,000 Loan remained unspent on the 14th inst. Of this sum £193 17s must, at least for the present, be retained in view the proposal to establish an Electric Fire Alarm System. There is thus left immediately sum of £94 3s only, and against this liabilities have been incurred the accounts for which have not yet passed through the Books, so that to all intents and purposes with the exception of the Electric Fire Alarm System item the £25,000 may he regarded as being expended. Of course there remains yet to be received Betterment monies upon Cross Street, less legal expenses incurred, but it is difficult to say when these monies will be available. There is also, if the Council so decide, Betterment on Kuripuni Street/ b" fc the extent of these amounts cannot be ascerained until such time as all Claims for Compensation have been received and disposed of, for then only will the full extent of the expenses incurred in connection with this Street be j arrived at, but as against the ! amount of Betterment there will of course be the corresponding payments, so that it is unlikely that any receipts will accrue to the Loan j Account from the Betterment of ! Kuripuni Street as will be the case lin Cross Street. The fencing of the i extension of Herbert Street across Colomba Road into Makora Street will be completed by the end of the week. The Colombo Road extension into Cockburn Street as far as the Borough Boundary has been fenced off. Mr J. Cavanagh elected that the Borough should set back his fence in .Mi'.heal-Dig-on Street, and that work is approaching completion. Inasmuch as practically no Loan monies are now available it follows that such works as arc carried out will ''until other cirI cumstances prevail) have to be i [effected out of the General. DisI trict Fund, airJ s'sing that in ths District Fund in the draft estimates | no provision whatever is made other >, than for just patching and cleaning j the roads, it is- obvious that an immediate reduction in my staff must follow, and it is with regret therej fore from the mens' point-, of view that I report a reduction in my staff from 60 to thereaoouts 18, to be followed in the course of a few days to the nominal permanent strength of about 14. This will be a.very serious matter to the men, all of whom are married and some with families, but it cannot be helped. I am hoping, however, that the Borough will in its wisdom see its way to put a proposition before the ratepayers for the raising of a street loan at an early date, in which case it may be possible to regain" the me:, whose tservices have just been dispensed with. The men whose services lam losing are I now thoroughly accustomed to modern j road making methods and in that ' sense are of value as against men J not having been so trained, but if j funds are not forthcoming within a ! reasonable time so as to give them employment I am afraid their services will not be available, in which case a certain Joss will be incurred I later when Street works are recommenced in training men unaccustomed to the work. The Committee recommend the Borough Council to fix an ordinary Water Supply Rate in accordance with Section 83 of the "Municipal Corporation c Act" and of the "Rating Act," in the follow ing manner:—On all lands and buildings where the annual rateable value does not exceed £l2 10s the rate to be 10s. In every other respect the rate is to be agreeably with the provisions of the said Section, £4 per centum on all lands and building? used as a dwelling house, and £2 pe centum on all lands and buildings used for any purpose other thari, a dwelling house, and for a period dow to the 31st of March next.

The Committee recommend the Council not to collect a special Cas Loan rate amounting to £14,000 on Loans £II,OOO, £9,000 (part of £12,000), and £4,000, but to make this payment as formerly out of gas works revenue.