TO CEASE WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 217, 18 August 1925, Page 6

TO CEASE WORK

PENDING GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. DECISION. OF GORGE ROAD BOARD. Following upon several conferences of the contributing local bodies on the question of the Gorge road, the Board of Control decided at its ordinary meeting yesterday to cease _ its improvement work in hand at the end of the month and to discontinue operations in that connection absolutely on September 14, the extra fortnight after the end of the month being allowed to clear up what work is in hand on August 31. The chairman of the hoard, Mr F. J. Nathan, is to endeavour to secure an interview with the Prime Minister on Thursday in an attempt to obtain Government assistance, without which, the contributing bodies state, they are not prepared to expend more money on the completion of the work, the cost of which to date has already materially exceeded the estimate. BOARD HAS SPENT OVER £42,000. Before the decision was ari'ived at the chairman commented upon the hoard’s financial position, pointing out that to July 31 it had spent £42,040 14s lid, which amount included an overdraft of £5439 Is. The hoard had already spent £4OOO over the original estimate—the amount to which the local bodies had been committed—and it would take another £B7OO to complete the undertaking according to plan. Later the hoard considered in committee ways and means of raising some further funds to supply immediate requirements, the chairman stating, incidentally, that it appeared as if it would be necessary to “put a receiver” into some of the local bodies affected which stated that they could not pay their dues, although other bodies had paid up fully. Further, he ohsex-ved, defaulting contributors should pay intexest on their arrears. THE NOTICE OF MOTION.

The chairman proceeded to deal with the l-easons why the notice of motion by Air Ale Elroy (that the boai'd cease operations) had been held over, stating that it had been hoped that ere this a i-eport would have been received from the Government in the matter of the board’s representations anent its ability to carxy on the work. However, no such report had come to hand, and he was obliged now to keep faith with Air AlcEli-oy and other board members by taking the notice of motion.

Mr AlcElroy then moved: That no further expenditure be undertaken by the board on the Gorge load after August 31, 1925. Speaking to the motion, he said that the bodies which he repx-esented thought that it should be dealt -with at this meeting of the board. Personally he deemed it rather drastic to cease work almost at once—about a fortnight hence. However, the contributing local bodies desired immediate action although he would like to see a clear- month’s notice of the board’s intention to cease work. The Governxnent, he added, was tardy in the matter of assisting the Gorge l-oad work and a decision to cease operations “might bring them up to scratch.” The public would not be seriously inconvenienced, for the dangerous work in hand would be cleared up in the short time left befoi-e the board’s decision took effect. He felt that the contributing local bodies had been very genei-ous. They had paid up all they had been committed to and still had a bill to foot over and above that amount. Already, he said, the board had spent £4OOO over the original estimate. The chairman observed that if the work was finished it would cost some £13,000 over the estimate. It was remarked by Air Grainger that the board had held on too long—it had gone too far. The Government had held back and was willing to- allow the boai'd to go ahead and finish the work, so long as it was prepared to do so. He did not blame the Government —he would do the same in their case. If the board carried on much longer it would finish the work, but it would mean finding another £BOOO, and the contributing bodies said that they could not pay more. The Government was “on a good thing” if it took the work now. he concluded. Air Batchelar asked what would he the position about the clearing of slips if the boai'd decided to cease operations. This point was debated, but the chairman declared that the board could leave the slips alone, in which case the Government would be obliged to come along and clear them itself. Air Chadwick said that that was just what was required to force the position. It would, in some respects, be a regrettable procedure, but there would be a public outcry and it was the travelling public who were going to be the deciding factor in this critical stage of the improvement work. Asked what work in hand the engineers would have to complete if the board decided to cease operations, it was replied that there was not a great deal. Air Jickell detailed the work in hand.

The chairman mentioned that he purposed, if the motion was passed, to wait on the minister on Thursday, and he discussed what amount of Government assistance tho boai'd should accept. Air Cornelius said that it was unfair to ask the loc.al bodies which could not afford to pay any more to contribute further. It was. he said, not “a question of holding a pistol at Mr Coates’s head.” The board and local bodies had done their part. The motion by Air AlcElroy was carried unanimously, with the addition of the proviso that all the hoard's work should cease on September 14 unless the Government derided to substantially assist the hoard.