A RECORD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 44, 1 December 1939, Page 7

A RECORD.

MAIN HIGHWAYS EXPENDITURE. TOTAL OF £5,185,803. Expenditure, on highways during the year ended records. The fifteenth annual report of the Main Highways Board, which has just been issued, shows that the total expenditure from the Main Highways Account amounted to £5,185,803, compared with £4,113,046 for the previous year, which constituted a record in the Board’s history. The current year, however, shows an increase of £1,072,757. Major improvement works, states the report, had been responsible for a large proportion of the increase, but extensive flood damage repairs on the East Coast of the Nprth Island and on the West Coast of the South Island placed an added burden on the available funds, together with a large addition to the length of bridging completed. The total loan authority for highways now amouhted to £9,500,000, Section 3 of the Finance Act, 1938, empowering the Minister of Finance to borrow np to an additional amount of £1,500,000 for the purposes of construction or reconstruction of main highways. ' ' . ttActual income .of the Main Highways Account from revenue sources for the year under review amounted to £2,814,939' compared' With £2,607;027 for the previous year, and £1,442,226 nine years ago. In addition to the amount collected in revenue, £2,675,600 was borrowed for main highways, thus increasing the annual loan charges on the account from £338,494 to £439,541. Of the total expenditure by the Board on maintenance, renewals, and construction, amounting to £4,537,250, 65.51 per cent, was spent in the North Island and 34.49 per cent, in the South Island. In addition to expenditure by the Board, local authorities contributed £152,730 on maintenance of main and State highways, £18,662 on renewals, and £115,697 on improvements and construction.

The present length of main highways maintained or subsidised by the Board is 12,206 miles, of which 3976 miles have been classified as State highways. '