VOTES TO LOCAL BODIES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1651, 21 October 1903, Page 75 (Supplement)

VOTES TO LOCAL BODIES.

TEES RECENT CANCELLATION. A matter which has already received some consideration from Parliament this session was again dealt with on Wednesday, when tho Mini ter for Public Works was asked by Mr Ivirkbride if it is a fact that all votes placed s>n tho Estimates for roads and bridges and appropriated last session, tbs expenditure of whicn had been authorised., and in some cases even where tho local bodies bad called for tenders for the work, have been cancelled as from the ,19th September last, to the great in-co-nvenienco and loss of the said local bodies; and, if so, will lie reinstate on tho Estimates this session the ii.pproj>riii tic ns so eft n c ell e d ? The Minister stated :—Authorities have been cancelled where no actual commitment in the shape of written contracts had been entered into by local bodies on or before the 19th September, or where no actual commitment had been entered into by the Department or'Roads, or where no actual expenditure by local bodies under the terms ,of tho authorities issued to them had taken place. In some cases the local bodies had in the past heiid authorities for as long as five years without executing the works entrusted to them and claiming the moneys due thereunder, and, as the appropriations of Parliament are for the then current financial yeav, these moneys had to. be rovoted year after year for that period. In the cases of those local bodies who in response to the Department’s . request had forwarded a statement of tho position of the works for 11111011 the authorities were issued in time to reach the Department by the 10th October — a period of three weeks- —no cancellation of amounts to which the local bodies had been actually committed under the authorities has taken place. . Though three weeks were allowed in which to fulfil the requirements of the Department, several focal bodies were so careless of their own interests in the matter as not to take steps to respond in time to tho Department’s request, and, as stated in the circular issued to them, the whole ox their authorities have been cancelled. The local bodies have been informed that immediately Parliament revotees tho money application can be made for issue of new authorities..