GRANT TO ROAD BOARDS.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1150, 13 February 1874, Page 4

GRANT TO ROAD BOARDS.

[WESTPORT EVENING STAB.] It is incumbent upon us to call attention to the regulations whereby participation may be obtained by the District Eoad Board in the distribution of subsidy made by the General Government. For some years past £50,000 has been voted for this purpose, and, as a matter of course, allocated to the last shilling. If in future the Buller District Board would share therein it can do so under certain regulations, which may be thus briefly summarised:—The General Government will communicate with the Superintendent of the Province, and the Superintendent will notify to the Chairman of each Boad or District Board the total amount of grant allotted to his district, the works on which it is to be expended, and the sum authorised in respect of each. Then comes certain official formalities. The money is not sent direct to the Chairman to be placed to the credit of the Board, but the chairman must make requisition to the Provincial Treasurer, such requisition to be countersigned by another member of the Board, and the requisition will be met by cheques pro rata to the amount of work completed according to authorised scheme, or on the undertaking of the persons signing the requisition, that the sum asked for shall be expended on specified work. It is further stipulated that periodical transcripts of accounts, with proper vouchers, shall be forwarded to the Superintendent of the Province, who will send the same to the Provincial Auditor for examination and report, and who, on receipt of such report, will forward it with relative accounts to the Colonial Secretary. The Colonial Government or the Provincial Government may also, when necessity arises, require the production and make examination of books and documents relating to the expenditure of any grants, and with power to disallow any unauthorised or improperly expended items. It thus plainly appears that any anticipated grant to the District Road Board from the General Government is only obtainable through the prescribed channel, and moreover, in terms of the Provincial Secretary's letter to the Board, it is absolutely necessary that to obtain any portion, the Board must levy and collect a general rate on all rateable property within the District prior to the Ist July next. To this end it has become necessary that a valuer of property and collector of rates should be appointed, and the proper machinery set in motion to obtain local revenue. The ratepayers will do well to also bear in mind that appropriations from the Provincial Revenues will be in proportion to the amount of local contributions. The amendments of the Local Revenues Act, as just passed by the Provincial Council may more specifically define the revenues of the Board, but the general principle of pro rata contributions is not likely to be altered.