The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 12,1883. "THE ROADS AND BRIDGES CONSTRUCTION ACT."

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 678, 12 January 1883, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 12,1883. "THE ROADS AND BRIDGES CONSTRUCTION ACT."

To resume our review of " The Roads and Bridges Construction Act." Clauses 13 and 14 provide that if at the poll of ratepayers they agree to repay the fourth of the sum required, the Minister shall certify to the amount of the grant, and that if the Council agree to accept such grant, th"y are to execute and deliver to the Tr asurer a debenture for one-fourth of the advance, which shall constitute, a debt due by the local body to Her Majesty. The 15th clause provides that, on receipt of such debentures, the Treasurer shall pay over the money, •Clauses 16' aiid 17 provide that the Council may take up any of the debentures before they are due, or that if the whole amount is not required, the debentures may be reduced. Clauses IS and 19 are to the pffect that if the Council find one-fourth of the whole ■money required for the proposed work, there heed be no poll of ratepayers at a'l to approve, and that, further, if the Council find a part of one fourth of the debentures, they may be proportionately reduced. _ ■• We next come to the effect of the Act •cm Boroughs. Clause 20 says :— "20 TheCouncilof aborotighestablished under any Act relating to Mtincipal Corporations, the inhabitants of which at the time of the last census were returned as numberingless than four thousand, may apply for and obtain aid for,the construction of a bridge on a main road upon the same terms and conditions as a. Council may ; and all the provisions of this Act relating to applications for grants' in aid of the construction of main roads, and the granting of the same, And the making and levying of a special rate to secure the repayment of aportion of such gruit*, shill, ' mutatis mutandis, apply to an application made and granted by virtue of U:is section, and to the making and levying of a special rate to secure the repayment of a portion of such grant." It will thus be seen that the main road bridges in any municipality where there are less than 4000 inhabitants can be erected for one-fourth of the cost of erection. Such an opportunity is at likely to occur for any length of time, and we should recommend all Boroughs whose bridges are not in really good condition to at once avail themselves of this clause. This ends the first portion of the act. The first part of the second section of the act shows how funds are to be provided for district roads and river works, Clause 21 Bays :—

"21. In order to give effect to this Part of this Act during the year commencing on the first day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two. the sum of one hundred thousand pounds shall, out of the moneys at the credit of the Public Works Fund, be transferred to the credit of a separate account in the Public Works Fund to be called "Tbe, District Roads and River Works Account.' Clause 22 further provides :— " 22. The Governor in Council may, on the application of tho Minister, authorise from time to time the Treasurer to borrow, and the Postmaster-General, or tho Government Insurance Commissioner, or any Board riow or hereafter established in bis place, or the Public Trustee, or the Commissioner of the Public Debts Sinking Fund, out of any funds under their oontrol respectively, to lend to the Treasurer, any sum or sums not exceeding one hundred thousand pounds, which sum or sums so borrowed shall be paid into the Public Account; to be placed to the credit of the said District Roads and River Works Account. But at no time shall there be advanced from all or any of the said sources more than one hundred thousand pounds."

\ Clauses 23, 24, 25, and 26 authorise the Treasurer to give debentures for sums borrowed to pay principle and interest on ihe debentures, and provide further, .that if funds are insufficient, payments may be made out of the consolidated fund, and that the Treasurer may repay debentures at any time. Want of space compels us to hold over our further review of the act till a future issue.