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OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

MASTERTON’S FINANCES (To the Editor.) Sir.-—I think that anyone who did not know Mr Daniell would come to the conclusion, on reading his letter of the 22nd instant on the above subject, that he had no faith either in the administration of this Borough or in the financial resources of its inhabitants. I should like to believe that such is not the case with Mr Daniell. In connection with the proposed Square, let us endeavour to be frank with ourselves and with one another. Let us give the people the facts, but check them carefully before giving them. Here are one or two samples: — New Fire Station.—Mr Daniell quotes it at £32,000, and assigns the whole liability to Masterton. He ought to know that the figure quoted, £38,000, was rejected as extravagant, and that less than half the sum ultimately decided on for the station is the responsibility of this borough. The Government makes a contribution to Fire Board funds, and the balance is borne in equal shares by the Borough and the Insurance companies.

Hospital Repairs and Additions. —Our share, say, £50,000: Mr Daniell knows that the Borough comprises about onetenth of the capital valuation of this Hospital district, and that the Hospital rate is levied on the capital value of the several local bodies. Thus, if our share is £50,000, the total for the district is half a million. Further, the Government subsidises all such expenditure at approximately £ for £, so that the contemplated repairs and additions amount to a cool million. This is the first I have heard of such a figure, and it is news also to the Secretary-Manager of the Hospital Board. Mangaone Property. —Does Mr Daniell suggest that the council did anything that it should not have done with this property? It was never leased at £7OO per year. If £7OO were received in 1920 it must have been because part of the rent was unpaid in the preceding year.

I am unable to judge why Mr Daniell has quoted a Lower Hutt property against us. But has he done it fairly? He knows that in both Lower Hutt and Masterton the rating is on the unimproved value —that is, the dominating factor is the value of the land. I venture to assert that the unimproved value of the land in Queen Street is considerably greater than that of the land in Main Street, Lower Hutt. Will Mr Daniell please give us the figures? His purpose was, of course, to create the impression that the rates here in Masterton are unduly oppressive. Let me give the rating facts for Lower Hutt and Masterton. The figures are taken from the Financial Hand Book, and for last year they are as follows: —Total rates levied per £ of unimproved value: Lower Hutt, 3.46 d in the £; Masterton, 3.40 d in the £. If the figure is worked out on a capital basis the Lower Hutt rates amount to 12.90 d in the £; Masterton to 12.12 d in the £. It is interesting to note that of the 1940-1941 levy, 97.63 per cent was collected in Masterton, and 89.62 per cent in Lower Hutt. So much for Lower Hutt. In this earthquake year, within a month of the striking of the rates, approximately 90 per cent of our rates were in the Treasurer's hands. Can Lower Hutt beat this? I own a small house property in the city of Wellington. Twenty years ago the rates on this were £2 12s lOd. This year they are £lO Os Bd. I should hesitate to give this as a reason why civic progress should cease .in the city. lam reluctant to trespass unduly on your valuable space, but I should like to give an important fact to the public. Prior to the earthquake, the capital value of the Square, land and buildings, made by the Government Valuer as at March 31, 1941, was £80,795. What its value is at the present time I am unable to guess, but as a result of the earthquake at least two of the buildings have been written off as complete losses by the insurance companies, and almost all the others are very lame ducks. —Yours, etc., THOS. JORDAN.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19421027.2.57

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 October 1942, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
703

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 October 1942, Page 4

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 October 1942, Page 4

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