Page 8 Advertisements Column 6

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 100, 25 October 1916, Page 8

The Hon. W. Fraser, Minister for Public' Works, arrived in Christchurch yesterday on his tour throughout the Dominion to meet representatives of local bodies and explain to them the Government's scheme for reducing expenditure on public works. The position, as explained by Mr.'Fraser (says the Christchurch Star), is that the sum of about £680,000 was placed on the Estimates last session for roads and bridges, but only £390,000 is available. He lias found it necessary, consequently, to ask each local body concerned with roads and bridges to take only about half the sum placed on the Estimates 'for grants in its district. In some counties more than half the total estimated sum has been already authorised, and in these cases the sums will be paid. Some bodies seem to think that the mere fact of a sum appearing on the Estimates, or of plans and specifications being prepared, is sufficient ground on which' to start the works, but the Minister states that contracts cannot be made until the works have been actually authorised by him. His principal object is to ascertain if local bodies wish to have grants for one item transferred to other items which iuecoocidcrosl more impoilaat.