EXPENDITURE OF ROAD GRANTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 506, 5 October 1912, Page 5

EXPENDITURE OF ROAD GRANTS.

Some time ago when in Wellington Mr A. Scholes, chairman of the County Council, requested to allow the county to expend any small balances of grants by day labour in order to avoid the unnecessary expense of preparing plans and submitting the same to the Department for approval. The request was apparently misunderstood and was refused. A further request by letter explaining the position was forwarded to the Minister and the following reply has been received—: "I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter o£ 20th ult., in reply to the letter sent by the Minister of Public Works to Mr Wilson, M.P., in particular regard to the app'lication made by him and yourself, when you interviewed the Minister, to expend the small unexpended balances of grants by day labour. In reply X have to point out that the request contained in your letter is a very different one to that made to the Minister, according to the report of the interview, furnished by the Minister's office. It was therein requested that "these amounts might be aggregated and spent by the council on small work under the system of day labour." If this request had been agreed to it would have meant that the council could spend money provided for one work on an altogether different work, and the department would have very little control in the matter at all. As, however, it now appears that you merely desire to expend the unexpended balances in continuation of the work for which they were nrovided I have to state ihat there is no objection to this request being complied with provided you will furnish to the district engineer the usual particulars as to the work which has been done. I do not anticiDate any difficulty in carrying out your suggestion provided proper information is furnished to the district engineer, who has been instructed in the matter."