MAIN HIGHWAYS FUND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19412, 21 August 1926, Page 15

MAIN HIGHWAYS FUND.

GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION. NET TOTAL OF £550,000. THE AUCKLAND PROVINCE. DETAILS OF THE GRANTS. [by telegraph.—special hep outer.. ] WELLINGTON, Friday. The net appropriation of £550,000 for the construction, re-construction and improvement of main highways throughout New Zealand is proposed in the Public Works Estimates for the current financial year. Last year the vote was £447,457, and £580,449 was expended.

As was the case last year there are many free grants, but the majority of votes to the districts under the jurisdiction of Main Highways Boards are to bo given as subsidies, mostly on the basis of £ for £, though in numerous instances the subvention ranges from. £2 to £5 for £l. The proportions cannot bo published in detail and in each case the total grant to the roads concerned only is given.

The proposed appropriations for the Auckland province, and contiguous districts, together with the amount expended of last year's vote, are as follow: Vote. Spent. £ £ No. 1 Highway District (Auckland North) — Auckland-Waimu (via Bir- * ken head) 7, ISO 283 Auckland-flelensville .. 12,000 6,613 Kumeu station to Albany Kd. 1,380 1,315 Helensvilie-Waiwera .. 985 517 Port Albert-Wellsford .. Waiwera-Mangawai . . 5,280 2,693 Warkwoilh-Kaipara Flats . 1.805 1,183 Wayby-Maungaturoto . . 2,307 Kaiwaka-Mangawai .. 675 300 Whangarei-Dargavilla . . ' 875 1,509 Whangarei-Kawakawa .. 9,333 90 Whangarei-Oakleigh .. 350 • * Maungatnpere-Kaikohe .. 13,151 3,1.99 Kawakawa-Mangamuka .. . 7,550 2,824 Waimamaku-Ohaeawai . . 7,578 3,688 Rawene-Kaikohe . . .. 92 Kohukohu-Te Karae . . 4,460 540 Kaikohe-Omapere .. 500 * Broadwood-Kaitaia . . 1,048 Waipapakauri-Victoria Valley 931 1,175 Victoria Valley-Hangonui . 250 ■ — Mnngamuka-Te Karae ».. 5,000 Whangaroa-Okaihau .. 1,532 218 Dargaville-Maungaturoto _. . 3,841 12,887 Maungaturoto station-Waipu 800 Dargaville-Te Kopuru .. 230 124 Engineering surveys .. 500 535 Totals £59,633 £39,723 No. 2 Highway District (Auckland South)— Auckland-Helensville 1 .. 1,145 8,550 Great South Road , . 39,317 15,077 Pokeno-Wailii . . . . X1i277 3,450 Pokeno-Tauranga-Coromandel 13, id Paeroa-Kopu . . . . 3,000 Hamilton-Raglan .. . > 322 llfi Hamilton-Paeroa .. . 2,761 863 Hamilton-Rotorua .. .. 9,734 1,603 Waitoa-Taupo ... .. 14.916 5,584 Matamata-Tauranga .. 1,836 114 Engineering surveys «, 100 20 Totals £98,179 £34,657 No. 3 Highway District (Tauranga)— Tauranga-Matamata .. 7,029 1,686 Gisborne-Whakatane (via Motu) 12.900 1,627 Whakatane-Rotorua .. 8,714 1,576 Whakatane-Tauranga . . 2,906 1,659 Te Ngae-Paengaroa .. 3,000 1,500 Cambridge-ißotorua -.. 19,300 281 Rotorua-Napier . . .. 2,022 1,095 Cambridge-Taupo (via Atiamuri) >. .. 1,560 335 Tauranga-Wailii .. 2,500 « * Engineering surveys .. 250 9 Totals .. .. .. £60.181 £9.768 *No Vote Last Year. Items for other North Island district highways (totals only), are as follow: Vote. Spent. £ £ No. 4 District (Gisborne) . . 54,234 64,210 No. 5 District (Hike's Bay) 40,402 14,319 No. 6 District (King Country) 49,105 15,972 No. 7 District (Taranaki) ~ 61,871 64,347 No. 8 District (Wanganui) . . 25,582 12,219 No. 9 District (W'gton West) 92,164 19,733 No. 10 District (W'gton East) 29,244 7,013 The votes for the King Country district include £24,962 for the Te KuitiBulls Road' (via Taumarunui); £7llO i for the Kawhia to Auckland-Wellington highway (via Kawa); and £1737 for the Pio Pio-Tatu Road (via Aria). For the Auckland-Wellington main highway (via Taranaki), £l9lß is included in the King Country vote; £36,843 in the Taranaki vote; £14,017 in the Wanganui vote; and £52,741 in the Wellington West vote. „ These four sums total £105,519.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION. ENSURING MAINTENANCE. DEPARTMENT'S OVERSIGHT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL , REPORTER. ] WELLINGTON, Friday. The expenditure on road construction has been steadily increasing from year to year, and during last financial year it again constituted a record for this branch of the operations of the Public Works Department. The Minister states that particular attention has again been given the question of constant and sufficient maintenance of roads, and no opportunity has been lost of impressing on local bodies generally the urgent necessity of protecting capital expenditure by means of adequate maintenance. The department has adopted the principle, before giving its approval to any comprehensive metalling scheme, 01 investigating the ability of the district concerned to bear the subsequent maintenance charges, and local bodies are now required to satisfy the department, by special resolution, that arrangements have been made to provide and set aside annually sufficient funds to maintain the road. Investigations have in several cases indicated conclusively to the settlers that, although they could possibly finance the original loan for metalling purposes, the subsequent maintenance charges would be quite beyond their financial ability, and consequently they have been advised, pending further settlement and development of their district, to concentrate their efforts on improved upkeep of their existing roading facilities. Under the regulations for the classification of .roads for the use of motorlorries, 58 local bodies had submitted their classifications by March 31, and since then five additional classifications have baen received. Of these, 48 classifications have been approved or amended and gazetted. In certain districts, however, advantage has not been taken of the power given by these regulations, arid it would seem desirable both the interests of local bodies themselves and motor-truck owners that classifications should be made, otherwise there may be a danger of isolated classifications becoming effective which may constitute a barrier to the uniform use of roads cy motor-lorries in a given district.