APPORTIONMENT OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Northern Advocate, 12 June 1937, Page 7

APPORTIONMENT OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Five-Year Plan Complicates Riding Distributions

Adjustments in applications for grant allocations to meet the new conditions of the five-year plan were discussed at yesterday’s meeting of the Whangarei County Council. The engineer, Mr J. Norris, said the Public Works Department had requested that roads be grouped in order of urgency from A to E. He said that, if the expenditure required to complete the A list was in excess of the allocation which the county received or the ridings could lift in the first year, proportionate amounts would be made available, and the work carried forward until the B list was reached, and so on. The subject was raised by Cr. T. N. Blake, who considered that there should be close co-operation between riding members and the staff, so that application should only be. made for sums which the ridings would be able to lift. Grants Go 1 Begging. In many instances in the past, riding members had been unable to take advantage of grants, owing to postponement of works through bad weather or inability to finance their contributions. It would be folly for a riding to apply for grants which it could not lift, and thus prejudice others in a position to finance their contributions.

Cr. A. J. McKay said that he had not applied for the full amount of grant money which his riding was entitled to on a proportionate basis, and this led Cr. Blake to say .that, in feuch cases, other ridings should have the opportunity of fitting in their applications to divide surplus moneys available in the county. " Cr. A. Clarke: Last year the council came to a definite understanding as to* what amount should be' applied for -by each riding. It appears now that we have to sit back while there is an open slather.

£2 for £L

Upon being assured by the chairman that the average contribution the council was likely to receive for Government grants was £2 for £l, or perhaps a little better, Cr. Clarke said that he had made provision for £338, in order to lift about £6?I0 in his riding this year. Cr. J. Ililorrison: We Want to dc the fair thing by each riding, in securing as equitable an apportionment of the grants as possible. However, the Public Works Department apparently no Ipnger recognises ridings. Cr. Hayward said there had been experience previously of ridings being unable ,to i|ft the grants available, and the money not being expended because of this. . This disposal of surpluses, in. order that the county as a whole might receive the full allocation offering was an important matter.

Engineer to Confer With Members. For instance, his riding might be able to finance the lifting of additional grant money, but he would not feel justified in making application for further sums unless he knew that other ridings would not be able to use the money which would be offering.

The chairman said that Cr. Blake’s object would be met if the engineer, after all grant applications under the five-year plan had been received, conferred with the riding members; It would then be possible to advise whether some ridings should either increase or diminish their applications, with a view to the full amount likely to be made available to the county this year being lifted.