ROADS BOARD PLANS TO SPEND £27M THIS YEAR

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29819, 11 May 1962, Page 3

ROADS BOARD PLANS TO SPEND £27M THIS YEAR

(New Zealand Press Association;

WELLINGTON, May 10. The National Roads Board has approved a budget of £27351,000 for this financial year an increase of £2,606,000 over last year. Finishing with an unexpectedly high balance of £2m. in the year just ended, the board will finance the higher expenditure by drawing down the balance to £1300,000 and from higher petrol' receipts estimated to be a record £17,850,000. Petrol receipts last year were £17300,000.

Allocations from the budget will include £12,400,000 for State highways (last year spent £10,900,000), £7,400,000 for counties and road boards (£6,800.000) and £3,600,000 for municipalities (£3,200,000). The board also budgeted for £BOO,OOO for flood damage (last year £930.433), £1.100,000 for administration (£1,000,000), £250,000 for subsidised highways (£169,911), £40,000 for purchase of plant and local body

loans (£24,966), £25,000 for steel Bailey bridges (£20.921) and £50,000 for miscellaneous expenses (£38,516). Total Motor revenue this year is expected to be £24 million—an increase of £731,789 over last year. The board's programming engineer (Mr D. J. B. Halley), in presenting the budget said an increase in last year’s revenue, plus the estimated motor revenue, along with part of the unexpended balance, will enable a number of urgent highway works, of which the Auckland urban motorway is one, to be accommodated. The increase will also permit the board to meet most of the balance of the subsidised local authority programmes which it was unable to meet last December.

When last year's estimates were approved, a balance of about £700,000 was budgeted for.

Later the Government requested a 5 per cent, reduction in expenditure to which the board acceded.

In reconsidering the estimates, the board then expected to finish with a balance of something like £1,700,000, but the actual balance has proved to be £2,026,880. This large increase on the estimate was due .to an "inexplicable” decrease of £500,000 in petrol tax rebates, said Mr Halley. In future, the board would not be able to budget for its balance on the assumption that local authorities would underspend their allocations, Mr Halley said. "The very high level spending by local authorities —97.9 per cent, of the gross allocation by counties, and ’'■9 per cent by municipalities—indicates that they are now geared to spend their increased allocations in full,” he said.

Estimated receipts for this year, compared with last year, are:

Petrol tax, £17,850,000 (£17,341,499). Registration fees, £2,625,000 (£2,550,035). Heavy traffic fees, £2.875,000 (£2,781,061). Tyre tax, £25,000 (£20,808).

Mileage tax, £625,000 (£574,808).

Total motor revenue, £24,000,000 (£23,268.211). Consolidated Fund, £1,000,000 (£1.000.000). Miscellaneous, £300,000 (£265,230). Interest, £25,000 (£17,333). Balance, £2,026,880 (£711,678)

Grand total, £27,351,000 (£25,262,452).