SCALING DOWN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20275, 17 June 1940, Page 6

SCALING DOWN

HIGHWAYS ESTIMATES ONE-THIRD REDUCTION NO. 4 COUNCIL. MEETS £IOO,OOO AVAILABLE An intimation from the Main Highways Board that there must be a general reduction of demands upon the funds available Cor construction, maintenance and replacements during the coming year was received by the No. 4 Highways Council when it held its annual "meeting in the Cook County chambers on Friday. The cash allocation for this district, it was stated, was approximately £IOO,OOO. There were present at tlre* meeting Mr. O. G. Thornton, district engineer, and Mr. W. G. Sherratt, Cook County representative, Mr. D. W. W. Williams. Waiapu County. Mr. J. McNeil, Uawa County, and Mr. M. Dovle, Waikohu County. The county representatives were accompanied by their respective engineers and clerks A review of the work carried out during the past year was placed before the council by Mr. Thornton, and was adopted, the opinion being expressed that a considerable advance had been shown in the standard of communications during the period. One-Third Down on 1939-41) The Main Highways Board’s advice concerning the general reduction of allocations for 1940-41 included an intimation that approximately £IOO.000 could be provided for vvorlts in the No. 4 district, this being about one-third lower than the allocation for 1939-40. The council would find it necessary, the chairman pointed out, to reduce expenditure on certain classes of work, in order to conform with the direction given bv the board, and to keep within the limit of the funds available. Draft estimates based on proposals submitted by the local bodies of the district in respect of main highways under their control, and by the Public Works Department for State highways, were studied at length. Adjustments were made in some items, and the estimates were adopted for submission to the Highways Board The total value of works nnoroved by the council was £130.000, this amount covering all classes of State highway and main highway work. No General Re-Classification The elimination of certain item? from the estimates, as approved bv the council, will be the function of the national authority. Advice was received from the board that no general review of highways classifications could be made this year, but provision had been made for consideration of urgent matters not involving substantial sums. In view of this policy, the district council resolved to ask the national board to keep in mind, for action at a later and more appropriate time, its earlier recommendation that Brunion’s road, in the Waikohu County, over a distance of CO chains, should be declared a main highway. Consequent upon the realignment of the Stale highway at Waikohu, the council recommended the revocation of the State highway classification of the old road between the junction with the Motu Front highway and the western end of the Waikohu railway station yard. , and its re-classification as a main highway in extension of the Motu Front highway. A complementary proposal covered the classification as a Stale highway of the portion of new work completed in the locality, covering 87 chains.