THE ROADS CONSTRUCTION BILL. [BY TELEGRAPH-OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Last Night.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1582, 24 August 1882, Page 2

THE ROADS CONSTRUCTION BILL. [BY TELEGRAPH-OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington , Last Night.

The Roa(Ls and Bridges Construction Bill provides £100,000 of Public Works fund this year together with a like sum each succeeding year from the land fund for main roads. The Minister, by notices published in the Gazette, may at any time declare which are main roads for the purposes of tlm act, but such roads shall not thereby become main roads till after a resolution of -the House has been passed approving the same. When a county council desires aid under this Act for the construction of a main road, ,or any portion thereof, it shall cause proper estimates of the cost of the work to be prepared, together with the plans and specifications where necessary, in such, manner as the Minister may direct. The council shali submit such estimate, plans and specifications (if any) to the Minister, and may make application to the Minister for a grant out of the main roads account, of the total cost of construction, of which one-fourth shall be repayable by it as hereinafter appears. The Minister shall consider the application, and if made in accordance with this act, and the Minister is satisfied that the estimates of the cost of construction so submitted to him as aforesaid are reasonable, he shall inform the council that the application will be granted either for the whole sum applied tor or for such portion thereof as may be granted in accordance with the provision of this act subject to the proposal being carried at the poll as hereinafter provided. The council shall then give the notices and take a poll of the ratepayers in the county as hereinafter provided, and if the proposal be carried in accordance with this Act the council shall proceed to make and levy a special rate to be made provided by this act which shall be sufficient to repay onefourth of the amount granted as aforesaid within ten years, by ten equal yearly paj'ments, without interest, payable on the first day of May in each year. Upon such poll being taken, if the Minister be satisfied that the proposal is carried as aforesaid, and after the Council has made the special rate as aforesaid, the Minister shall forward to the Treasurer a certificate of the amount of tlie grant. For district roads and river works £100,000 is" to be provided tin's year, and the Treasurer bo empowered to borrow from time to time from the Post-m.i&ter-Ucneral, or the Government Insurance Commissioner, or any board now or hereafter established, in place of the Public Trustee, or the Commissioner of the Public Debts Siukiiig Fund out of any funds under their control, respectively, any sum not exceeding one hundred thousand pounds, which sum or sums so borrowed shall be paid into the public account to be placed to the credit of " the district roads and river works account," but at no one time shall there be advanced from all or any on the said source more than one hundred thousand pounds. The Treasurer shall from time to time make further appropriation out of any moneys for the time being to the credit of the "district roads and river works account " to the persons entitled thereto, the principal and interest to be payable on any such debenture at the rate and on the days mentioned therein. If at any time there are not sufficient funds in the " district road or river works account" to make such payment, the Treasurer shall, without further appropriation, advance the sum from the consolidated fund. As to roads through unsold lands there shall in each financial year be expended in accordance with appropriation by Parliament in the construction of roads to open up Crown Lands about to be offei ed for sale an account equal to twenty pounds for every hundred pounds received fiom the sale of Crown Lands sold for casli in the preceding financial year. The Minister of Lands in accordance with such appropriation may enter into or authorise the entering into by local bodies of contracts for the construction of such roads as are provided for in this part of this act to an extent not exceeding the amount mentioned in the preceding section.