MAIN HIGHWAYS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 86, 8 October 1930, Page 12

MAIN HIGHWAYS

£9,000,000 SPENT

LOCAL BODIES'BURDEN LIGHT

BOARD'S SHARE OF COST

The share of the expenditure on main highways which falls upon the Highways Board as compared with local bodies, is shown in the board's annual report to Parliament to be a heavy one. MAINTENANCE. The following analysis of tho expenditure by tho board and local authorities on actual maintenance for the financial year as distinct from interest of loans and other overhead charges, proves the board to bear the bulk of the burden. The expenditure by local bodies is given in parentheses. Taking first the original highway system, the figures are: North Island, £510,334, 73.56 per' cent. (£183,405, 26.44 per cent.), total, £693,799; South Island,. £294,434, 76.67 per cent. (£89,598, 23.33 per cent.), total, £384,032. Percentage of total expenditure, 74.67 (25.33). . For additional highways.—North Island/ £143,391, '67.70 per ' cent. (£68,412, 32.30 per cent.), total, £211,803; South Island, £101,090, 74.63 per cent. (£34,374, 25.37 per cent.), total, £135,464. Percentage.of total expenditure, 70.40 (29.60). Tor the complete system.—North Island, £653,725, 72.19 per cent. (£251,877, 27.81 per. cent.), total £905,602; South Island, £395,524, 76.14 per cent. (£123,972, 23.5G per cent,), total £519,496. .Percentage of total expenditure, 73.03 (26.37). In the report for the previous year tho board, says its report, was able to record a substantial reduction in the amount which local authorities had provided towards the cost of maintenance of the primary system, the reduction representing . approximately £45,000. This year, however, the local authorities contributed £273,063 to works financed out of tho Revenue Fund, representing an increase oil last year's figure of £48,971, and bringing the amount- to almost the same as that provided in 1926-27 and 19,27-28. To a certain extent the increase in the amount provided by the local authorities on the primary system of main highways is brought about by tho increasing amount of sealing-work which is charged to the Revenue Fund. As a matter of fact, new sealing-work, representing an expenditure, of approximately £100,000, was carried out and charged to the Revenue Fund last year, representing a' substantial increase on previous years. This work alone would mean a contribution by the local authorities of between £20,000 and £30,000. The amount provided by the local authorities towards the cost of maintenance of the secondary system increased from £60,434 for tho financial year 1928-29 to £102,786 for the financial year 1929-30, but this does not necessarily mean that the local authorities provided more for the maintenance of the secondary highways than was the case before their declaration. The amount provided.by the board for maintenance of the secondary highways was £244,451, which, together.' with the, amount contributed by the local authorities, represents a total of £347,267; and while this total figure doubtless represents a substantial increase in-expenditure on secondary highways as compared with 1927 [beforo declaration), there must be substantial relief to the local authorities. CONSTRUCTION: With the percentage of expenditure to appropriation in parentheses, the-fol-lowing amounts were expended under tho Construction Fund by the board during the- year: North Island, * 684 629 (90.60); South Island, £386,75S (75.24); total, £1,071,417 (85.71). * , ' A comparative analysis or the board's and local authorities' expenditure .on construction in both Islands, excluding overhead charges, gives the following percentages of the total, the local authorities' in parentheses: Original highway system, 84.10 (15.90); adclitional\l92S highways, 75.9S (24.02); complete system, 83.23 (16.77). The amount provided by the, local authorities towards tho cost of construction works on the. original highway system shows a reduction of £19,000 as against .a reduction of £72,000 in. the previous year. The local authorities found £8000 more towards the cost of construction works on secondary highways, tho work on most of which is subsidised on a£l for £1 basis. On the- whole year's operations there was a reduction of £11,000. in the amount provided by local authorities, while the amount provided by the board increased from £936,14S to £1,007,957. The percentage of construction costs provided by the board has gradually ihcreased from 70 per cent, in 1924 to S3 per cent, for the year under review. SIX-YEAR COMPARISON. The expenditures for the past six years have been as follows: Maintenance by board," £123,675, £279,404, £435,762, £523,581, £756,399, £1,049,----249, £3,171,070; maintenance by local authorities, £110,001, £185,015, £276,----349, £269,065, - £284,526, £375,849, '£1,500,805; construction by board, £222,422, £421,880, £540,362, £449,----904, £936,148, £1,007,957, £3,578,673; construction by local authorities, £80,000, £142,761, £255,860, £262,----535, £214,155, £203,148, £1,158,402; total for six years, £9,409,010.