ROADS AND BRIDGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 100, 18 October 1911, Page 5

ROADS AND BRIDGES.

EXPENDITURE LESS THAN ANTICIPATED. £788,350 FOR CURRENT YEAR. ■ States .the Minister for Public Works in his annual Statement:— * liberal provision was made on last year's estimates for roads, and every ■effort has been made since the votes were, passed to ipush on energetically •with the roads. No time was lost in offering to local bodies the expenditure of such votes as it was anticipated they would be prepared to undertake. The expenditure of 1503 items, totalling £292,11(i, was offered to local bodies, the offers in respect of the items provided for on the main estimates being made on November lath and 10th, and in respect of the supplementary estimates on December 12th and 13th. When the offers to local bodies were made, they were invited to submit proposals for expenditure at as early a date as possible, and informed that authority would be issued as soon as such proposals had been approved. Between November 30tli and March 31st no less a sum than £225,768 was authorised to focal bodies and departmental engineers, and between March 31st and July 31st authority for a further sum of £7091 was Issued. Some few local bodies declined to take | up the items offered to them, others selected only those which presented little difficulty or expense in carrying out, and in almost every case where the local body was unwilling to undertake any 'particular work authority was promptly issued to the department's local engineer to carry it out. On the whole, however, the response may be regarded as quite satisfactory, so far as the willingness of local bodies to undertake work is concerned. Despite the fact that votes were made available at the earliest possible date, the expenditure at March 31st had not reached the amount anticipated. Of course, it will be understood that at that' date there were many thousands of pounds' worth of work in hand under grants, much of which has since been

completed. The system governing expenditure by local bodies of Government grants hits been simplified as far as is consistent with properly safeguarding the expenditure of public money. Last session I announced the intention of the Government to give consideration to applications for grants where the local l people were prepared to help themselves. A large number of substantial votes, on a pound-for-pound basis, were accordingly provided. The expenditure of these items has not so far reached anything like the amount offered. In many cases this is doubtless.attributable to the fact that when the -votes were provided local bodies had not completed their arrangements for loans. An increased number, of applications has been received this year for grants on this basis. ROADS ON GOLDFIELDS. The authorisations last year under this head were £5(i,795, on account of which a vote of £53,420 was taken. The vote was made up of a large number of quite small items. It is proposed to continue to assist local bodies by means of grants and subsidies towards the construction of roads and tracks to enable plant and stores to be conveyed to mines in course of development, and also towards the construction of tracks in new localities so as to better enable prospecting operations to be carried on. TOTAL APPROPRIATION S FOR ROAD WORKS. Last This Year. Year. £ £ Roads, etc 312,545 253,8(55 Rackblock roads 230,720 200,135 Roads <>a goldfields.... 53,420 50/000 Opening up Crown Lands for Settlement Account 100,000 100,000 National 'Endowment Account 15,935 19,3(50 Land for Settlements Account... 20,865 20,000 New Hutt road 20,000 14,000 Maintenance of roads (Consolidated Fund) 30,000 35,000 I Totals 783,485 788,350