PUBLIC WORKS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 52, 29 August 1914, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS

ALLOCATION OF PUBLIC MONEY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION LOCAL GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES

Considerable interest attaches to the Local Grants and Subsidies Bill, which has already been foreshadowed by Ministers and was brought down by Governor's Message in the House of Representatives last night. It provides for the setting up of a Board of Works, consisting of three persons to be appointed by the< Governor. Each member of the Bo^rd will be appointed for a term of five years. Any member of the Board may be suspended for misbehaviour or incompetence, and he will be deemed to have vacated his position if he (a) Engages in any paid employment or any business outside the duties of his office. (b) Becomes bankrupt. (c) Absents himself from duty for & period of three months. (d) Becomes incapable of performing his duties. » (c) Resigns his office. (f) Is removed from office as provided by the Act. The Bill goes on to provide that in •future grants for local works " shall " only be made " as provided by this Act and not otherwise. Grants shall be made for constiuction only, and not for repair." It is, however, stipulated that the Act shall not apply to the reading of Crown or Native ltnd. Local authorities may make application to the Board for a grant in aid of any construction work, accompanied by an estimate of the cost signed by "an engineer or other qualified person Before making any recommendation of allocation the Board must satisfy itself on the following points :—: — (a) That the work is necessary. (b) Thai another similar work at or ucar the proposed site would not be of gicater advantage. (c) That the design of the work is not such as to unduly increase the cost, and that due provision has been made for requisite supervision during construction. 1 (d) That the nature of fcbe work is not such as to exceed present or pro* liable future requirements. In addition it is provided that the board shall have regard to the principle that the primary purpose of grants is the construction of roads and budges, and that only in cases which are of exceptional uigency and importance may grants be made for construction of works other than roads or bridges. Other works arc to be classified, as under:— Class I. — Local works which the board deems to be urgently required in the interest of the public generally, as wnll as of local benefit (as, for example, bridges over dangerous rivers connecting roads in "general use). Class 2. — Local works when settle ment of Crown lands has been effected, for a period exceeding three years, and where the settlers are not provided with sufficient roads. Class 3- — Local works in districts the lecal _ authorities of which are subject to disadvantages by reason of sparse settlement, the existence of large areas of unoccupied Crown land and of Native land, or difficulty in procuring &uitable material for metalling roads. It will be the duty of the Minister of Finance to notify to the House in the Financial Statement every year what amount it is proposed to expend on public works, and it will thereafter be the duty of the board to prepare a report defining the local works recommended as having a first claim for assistance by way of grants and allocating as nearly ac possible the whole of the amount so notified. The Minister of Finance is, under the Bill, authorised to subsidise local authorities out of the Consolidated Fund at the following rates :—l.: — 1. In respect of counties wherein there are no road districts — (a) When the general rates collected by the County Council do not exceed a total sum of £1000, then a sum equal to 10s for every £1 of such rates : (b) When the general rates collected exceed a total sum of £1000. then a sum equal to 5s for every £1 of such rates ; provided that no lesser sum than £500 nor greater sum than £2500 shall be paid under this 1 paragraph. 2. In respect of counties wherein there are road districts — (c) (i) When the general rates actually collected by the Road Board in the road district do not exceed a' total sum of £500, then a sum equal to 10s for every £1 of jsuch rates : (ii ) When the general rates so collected by the Road Board exceed a total sum of £500, then a sum equal to 5s for every £1 of such rates ; provided that no lesser sum than £250 nor greater than £500 shall _ be paid under this subparagranh : Provided that if any road district does not collect rates, the county may claim the payment on behalf of that road district if the county collects rates within the road district : (iii.) When the general rates actually collected by the County Council in the outlying districts of the county do not exceed a total sum of £500, then a sum equal to 10s for every £1 of such rates, (iv.) When the general rates so collected by the County Council exceed a total sum of £500, then a sum equal to 5s for every £1 of such rates; provided that no les3er sum than £250 nor greater than £500 shall be paid in any one year under this subparagraph. 3. Where a road district or part of a road district is merged in a county, and becomes a riding or part of a riding, the same rate of subsidy for the year during which the merger occurs shall be paid on *accounfc of such riding or part of a riding as would have been payable had such merger not occurred. 4. No greater sum in all than £2500 shall be paid in respect of any and its road districts; and when the total amount of subsidy that would be payable in respect of the total amount of- general rates collected as aforesaid exceeds £2500, then the total amount of subsidy to be payable in respect of the Road Boards and County Council shall be apportioned pro rata according to the amount of general rates collected as aforesaid by such Road Boards and the County Council .respectively. Town Districts.— ln respect of pach Town Board-— (a) When the general rates actually collected do not exceei a total sum of £750, a sum equal to 5s for every £1 of such rates : (b) When the general rates so collected exceed a total sum of £750. then a sum equal to 2s 6d for every £1 of such rates ; provided that no lesser sum than £187 10s nor any greater sum than £450 auall be paid under this paragraph. The money required for the above purposes is to be provided by the Minister of Finance, and' distributed from a separate account, entitled the Subsidies Fund. Main arterial roads are dealt with under a separate portion of the Bill. No ruad will be deemed to be a main arterial road under the' Act unless— (;i) It paEees in a continuous line either tluuugh at least two counties, or in a continuous line from a railway to a fijapoit. Continuity shall not for this |ntrii>''Sp be r!*<smi>d to bt Woken by rea- ' kou uierel^ that tue xtwl is. part of it*

course is a. street of a borough or is within a- town district ; and (b) it is so generally used by persons residing in districts other _ than the districts of the local authorities within which its course, or part of its course, is situate that it is substantially unjust that such local authorities should ba required to maintain or repair it exclusively out of local funds. It will be the duty of the Board to ascertain and report what roads should be declared main arterial roads, and its report will be submitted to Parliament, which ie empowered to appropriate funds for the maintenance of such roads. License fees for motor vehicles are to be paid to the board for the maintenance and repair of roads and bridges used for motor traffic.