ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 257, 26 July 1930, Page 17

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

Total of £2,288,217 Spent “Expenditure ou highways totalled £1,097,148 last year, and' on roads, £1,191,069, making a total of £2,288,217. In both cases the expenditure represents a record for any one year,” said lion. G. W. Forbes, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, in the course of his Budget Statement in the House of Representatives on Thursday. , “As regards main highways, the increased expenditure is to be expected owing to the declaration of further lengths of roads as main highways and the necessity of finding additional work for the unemployed,” Mr. Forbes said. “Under the heading of unemployment relief the sum of £238,565 was expended on main highways. The funds for main highways were provided as follows: —

£750,000 from Main Highways Revenue Fund (being proceeds of tire and petrol tax, etc), £200,000 transferred from the Public Works Fund, on which the charges have heretofore been met by the general taxpayer, and the balance represents moneys specifically raised lor main highways, on which the annual charges are met from motor taxation. “Regarding the expenditure on roads, the large increase is due to the fact that the greater part of the funds provided for the relief of unemployment lust year were applied to road-eonstruetion. Of the various classes of public works, roadconstruction is undoubtedly one of the most suitable for unemployment relief, involving as it does the highest proportion of labour cost to total cost, besides providing an asset which facilitates transport and communication—pre-re-quisites for successful settlement and production under modern conditions.

“Last year’s provision for ordinary metalling and improvement of backhlock settlement roads, for the most part in co-operation with county councils, was £409,000, of which £353,337 was expended. It is proposed to set aside an additional amount this financial year for the purpose of providing access to the outlying districts of the Dominion. This represents a further contribution by the Government toward encouraging primary production.”