King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 7th, 1913. THE SUBSIDY SYSTEM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 574, 7 June 1913, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, June 7th, 1913. THE SUBSIDY SYSTEM.

The necessity for comprehensive legislation dealing with tho various details of roading, and setting forth clearly and definitely the responsibilities of the local bodies in repect to the matter is daily becoming more urgent. The declared policy of the Massey Administration to place public matters as far as possible boyond the reach of political patronage or influence will commend itself to every thinking person in the community, and the steps taken in the furtherance of the avowed aims of the Government in this respect indicate a serious effort to live up to the standard advocated. The Minister of Public Works has on more than one occasion roundly denounced the syterns of Parliamentary grants for roads and bridges as a rude and unsatisfactory method of meeting such an important public requirement, and with this opinion the bulk of people who understand the question wiil unhesitatingly agree. On the face of things the system is open to political influence in its most obnoxious form, and the districts who are most clamorous and persistent in their demands are most likely to re ceive the great consideration. The amount of money available for expenditure each year is limited, and it has become a task of herculean proportions to frame the Estimates. The custom which has upgrown of local bodies making application for amounts far in excess of their legitimate portion of the public works allocation render the work of compiling the Esti mates on an equitable basis almost an impossibility, and it is small wonder the Minister has entered a protest. There is a suggestion that a system of subsidies should be inaugurated and the proposal has much to recommend it. In this connection the matter of eubidising metalling loans in new counties is worthy of the greatest consideration. In the past tho uncer tainty as to whether a subsidy would be granted in connection with a loan has been found to be a serious drawback to progress, the necessity of having to wait till the Estimates were passed to discover if a subsidy was granted resulting in a deplorable delay. It is high time a definite system was established. In promoting a loan it is extremely desirable that those interested should know exactly upon what terms the money is to be made available. If a subsidy is allowed for the work the matter is placed in an entirely different position as compared with the settlers having to find the whole of the money them selves. In our own particular district there is no doubt subsidies are destined to play an important part as far as roadir.g is concerned. In the case of nearly every loan proposal for metalling the settlers have to rate themselves to the extent of from 2d to 4d in tho £on the capital value of their sections, and this is for work which will last not more than ten years. In addition, an increasingly heavy rate will be required for maintenance. The fact that this burden has to be borne by settlers who are do veloping new country, and who are just beginning to obtain a return from their land, renders it desirable from the Dominion point of view that Government assistance should be granted to those who are willing to help themselves: It also renders it. extremely desirable that the measure of assistance should be definitelly fixed, and that the districts in most need of assistance should receive first consideration.