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Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1930, Page 4

The Member for Motueka, Mr G. C. Black, is doing a useful service in looking into the expenditure of Public Works appropriations year by year. It is the custom each year to see long lists of works published as provided for out of the public exchequer, but it is well known that nothing like the sum voted is expended within the financial year. These votes are usually allocated for expenditure through the Public Works Department and the local bodies concerned in the respective districts. Mr Black is concerned mainly in local bodies in his own electorate. ' Some six Counties happen to he included at. least in part in the Motueka electorate, and while tlie allocation for the year for the six Counties was £54,025, there was expended only £29,009 for the year. This seems to he due in the main to more money being voted than'there is available for expenditure. It is the custom of the Public! Work® Department to notify local liodes in advance the amount of quota likely to be available for its district out of the national sum expected to he available, taking the area of the district and its requirements and rating into account. But in practice, the amount of the quota is not produced in hard cash. What appears to happen is that ndthing like the full amount is expended, and the Department carries forward the unexpended amounts. This is extra loading not immediately visible, and the result is rather disconcerting to those who seeing a list of works expect them to be disposed of promptly. The sit-

nation has its difficulties no doubt, but the present system i« not a good one. It is not clear and straight-forward, and on that account is generally unsatisfactory. With regard to the present year, for instance, we are informed that the public works authorities issued for this district, have absorbed the available quota, and that fresh money may not be authorised at present; this though various proposals for urgent works have been lodged several weeks past. It is a situation much the same as this which is engaging the attention of Air Black, and good service will be done if his investigations result in an improvement in the system being effected. Local bodies are blamed very often for delays in public expend tine, but it is usually the case that the delay is to be placed at another source, the fountain bead where the actual authority for the work is issuable. The position, having now been, raised, it may be expected the Member for Motueka will follow up the matter to ensure some practical change being made.