MAIN HIGHWAYS FINANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3663, 9 July 1927, Page 3

MAIN HIGHWAYS FINANCE.

COUNTIES ASKED TO GO SLOW

The Main Highways Board has advised the county councils that, owing to the necessity oi‘ having to transfer a portion of its accumu* lated revenue from the renewal fund to the construction fund for this year in order to meet commitments, and in view of the large inroads that will be made on the available cash in the revenue fund, it will be necessary to insure that all reasonable eare_.bc taken to sec that funds are judiciously expended on the maintenance of main highways. Where it is found necessary for counties to apply for sums in excess of those allotted for the year, a full explanation as to the cause of the increased expenditure must be forwarded to the Public Works Department, so that it may be embodied in the application to the Main Highways Board for authority. . County councils are therefore asked to incur no expenditure othar than what is absolutely essential.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER

AMENDMENT OF ACT PROB-

ABLE,

Composed of twenty members of Parliament, a deputation waited on the Minister of Public Works (Hon. K. S. Williams) yesterday to ask that the same subsidy for main highways should be paid to boroughs as is granted to county councils for constructional purposes. Mr. J. Linklater (Manawatu) pointed out that no provision for construction was provided for small boroughs which felt that a great responsibility had been thrown upon them financially. In some cases that responsibility could not be met. Mr. Linklater said that Shannon had n population of slightly over 1000, and. had three miles of highway to construct. Naturally that borough found it almost impossible to find the money. It was asked that small boroughs should be placed upon the same footing as county councils so far as the subsidy for construction costs were concerned. If that request were not granted it would mean that in many cases where boroughs were small the highway would' not be constructed, and that was not a desirable state of affairs in a progressive country like New Zealand. Most boroughs, lie thought would be satisfied with the subsidy granted to county councils on the ordinary 18ft. to 20ft. road that constituted a highway. Each of the members ,of the deputation supported the request, giving instances of what was required in the case of their respective districts.

The Minister gave a sympathetic reply, and while not being able to promise to go the whole length of the deputation’s request, indicated that an amendment of the Highways Act would be brought down in the direction of giving assistance to the small boroughs.