County finds roads cupboard bare

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 1

County finds roads cupboard bare

A 20-minute discussion by Paparua County councillors on where to commit unspent roading funds ended abruptly yesterday when they were told that they had no Government money to spend. The seven men, meeting as the Paparua Rural District Council, were discussing whether to spend $2400 on widening the shoulders of a part of Wairakei Road near Christchurch Airport. The chairman of the council (Cr A. Y. Shuker) said that, for political reasons, it was better to spend money there than on any other* section of road. The money would come out of an unallocated sum of $44,000 in the rural council’s $229,000 roading programme for the year.

Raising the question of where the other $41,600 might be spent. Cr R. S. Mayer (Islington) suggested that the council improve Halswell Junction Road. “It should be council policy to set aside a certain amount of money for each riding,” he said. “It’s only British justice.” Cr J. S. Bisphan (Halswell Rural): We try to spread it around as evenly as we can. Cr Shuker: It all comes out of the one account. Cr Bisphan: Every road work has its advantages and disadvantages. If we were to take into account every other road work each time we made a decision, we would for ever be engaged in trying to balance one against another. But I agree that once the urgent work is out of the way. we should share it (funds) around the ridings a little more.

After further discussion, the county manager (Mr A. Kelly) was asked for his advice. “You might be committing money you haven't got,” he said "We are already $50,000 short on roading subsidies in the* county as a whole. That is a substantial sum. Each district is going to have to contribute more. “The unallocated money we have got has attracted no subsidy. Without sufficient money, we might be committing ourselves to works from which we will have to retreat. That would be a lot harder It would be most unwise ’’ Cr Bisphan If we haxe not got the money, it would be foolish to commit ourselves. The meeting voted without dissent to proceed with the Wairakei Road work and then went on to business.