“CUT” IN EXPENDITURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1922, Page 7

“CUT” IN EXPENDITURE.

CURTAILING LOCAL BODIES. FEWER GOVERNMENT ADVANCES. ONLY FOR URGENT WORKS. “I desire to bring under the notice of local authorities the fact that the total vote for roads, etc., throughout the DominI ion is being expended at a rate higher than 1 the total appropriation justifies,” wrote the resident engineer, Mr. T. M. Ball, to yesterday’s meeting of the Clifton County Council. .He added: “It has therefore become necessary to very drastically curtail expenditure for the present. For this reason the department does not intend to issue this year the usual circular to local bodies inviting them to undertake the expenditure of certain items, but merely to consider on their merits such items as the local bodies cannot conveniently postpone. The policy of the department generally, while present conditions continue, will be: (1) To authorise only the most urgent works after the urgency thereof has been thoroughly investigated; (2) as far as possible, not to authorise subsidy grants for metalling unless in exceptional cases, e.g., where the work is in hand and nearly completed. I shall therefore be pleased if 1 your council will modify its programme to suit these conditions.” In this connection the county engineer reported that contracts had been work commenced on the Piko Road, and it was now doubtful if the work would be authorised. It was stated that failing authorisation the work would have to be done out of other loan monies.