MINISTER OF WORKS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 213, 6 September 1916, Page 10

MINISTER OF WORKS.

COUNTY COUNCIL DEPUTATION. g ALLOCATION OF VOTES. *?> ■ - "'(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, this day. 'Thie Minister of Public Works (Hon. Wl Fraser), had a busy afternoon at Hamilton yesterday, when he received deputations from the Raglan, Awakino, and Waitomo County Councils, Mr. Boddy, representing the Awakino County, asked for an additional authorisation of £000 on the amount of ■ £1,200 already authorised for the Kiri-tiheri-llaungakakapu Road. •Mr. Fracer declared emphatically that he-could make no further authorisations. In reply to another request by Mr. Boddy, the- Minister said he would be willing to allow the money immediately available for the main TYaipawa-Maunga-pahui Road, and a by-road included in the same schedule, to be spent on the nfijin road, the by-road to be formed ■wben the subsidy became available later. -The Minister promised to consider authorising the expenditure of £300, part of the Lower Awakino Road grant, oil the eastern end of the road, to give a£!jess to a block of land recently taken -e1 "number of returned soldiers. rMr. Scholes. representing the Waitomo County Council, asked for the transfer ot? £363, unexpended' balance of an authority on the Maeroa Road, £200 to the Maire Road, and £103 to the Ngapenga Road. ;The Minister suggested that the request should be put in writing , as a record, and he would consider the matte?- He" told the deputation that by granting this transfer, heVould be conferring a favour, as it must be understood that if the cost-of a certain work did not Teach the amount authorised,' the local body had no right to claim the balance. The Government has promised a subsidy of £ for £ for the construction of a road, from Port Waikato to the Tuakau Bridge, which is to cost £5000. The chairman of the Raglan County Council '.(Mr. C. Johnstone) asked the Minister if the Council submitted the plans, would the Department approve them, in order to. allow of the expenditure of the County contribution of £2500 immediately, lea-ving the Government suhsidv to follow at a later period. The Minister said he wonld certainly grant this request. "He also promised a subsidy of £2000 for the construction of a road from Glen Murray to Bregman's Landing -when the money is available. He , could not say when tiiis would be. ;•$&. Johnstone asked for £1700 of the !£27C6 voted for the Waimai Valley Road,-in-view- of- th& fact that the Council: had already expended its loan on the xo&d. "The Minister said he could not authorise this amount at the present time. Ho might be able to grant the request towards flic end of the financial year. lAboutlialf a" mile of-the road-from "V~ato rWaingaro - remains unmetalled, and the Raglan County delegates asked---for the • authorisation, of : £200 to link-up the metalling! 3he Minister refused-to make the atftttojrjsatiori of 'any new grants. He promised; however, to consider the transfer of £ISO from the Otorohaeo-Tri°-Road for this purpose. J Tlr. Traser refused' to authorise £300 on account of a £1000 grant for the Harapepe to Te Rore Road. He did not object to the Council spending its own loan of £.1000 *n the road, and carrying out the wvrk io the full extent of the £2000, on the understanding that the Department would pay its share when the money became available. Mr. J. A. Young, M.P., asked if i n such an event the Government- engineers would inspect the wotK periodically and give certificates. Mr. Eraser said certificates would be granted as the work proceeded, and these certificates would be Government vouchers for payment of the money when it became available. A matter brought under the notice of the Mnnster by Mr. Johnstone was th<* :n-eat inconvenience experienced by local bodies owing to the Government -withuioldmg progress payments, on metallic contracts, excepting where the metal is actuallvjbroken and spread on the road air. Fraser said Oiis action in withholdmg the payments -was on account of the fact that the local bodies had no security for metal on private property. The owner of the property might sell out at any time, and ihis successor might then repudiate any agreement made between hfe predecessors and tile local body. Tie Minister said he would try and find some means of overcoming the Dntd recently the Govern*een paying in advance for metal it had not received.