Public Works Vote.

Opunake Times, Volume LVV, Issue 3675, 19 October 1923, Page 2

Public Works Vote.

———--♦ SCHEME OF ALLOTMENT. "ENTITLING PERCENTAGES. « A new system of financing and administering public works, which is devised to render more equitable and uniform the allocations of money voted by Parliament for roads, bridges and other enterprises in his department, was announced at the beginning of'lhe month by the Minister of Public Works.

Between the local bodies and settlers' claiming for the cash equivalent of votes that have been provided, and the Minister and his department "finessing " the authorisations to ensure that actual expenditure does not exceed cash appropriation—an unequal equation, bound to produce friction and dissatisfaction—the following system has been evolved, which, it is claimed, if receiving the loyal cooperation by the benefiting districts, will do away with what the Minister considers .o be a very unsatisfactory state of affairs: The Solution. r The total of the individual votes 'in each public works district is set against the total votes for the whole Dominion, and the lesultant proportion is termed an entitling percentage. 2 The actual expenditure of votes for the financial year must be limited strictly to the cash appropriation The proportion which the cash appropriation bears to the total vote for New Zealand this year is 60 per cent.

3 But works can proceed only as plans and specifications can be prepared and Approved as contracts, plant, material and labour can be arranged, and as weather permits ; and here let it be remarked that the weather, labour, availability of plant and equipment—indeed, many factors— govern the actual prosecution of work and its cost, but there is only one thing that governs the fin- 1 ancial year and its expenditure re- * strictions: that is, the calendar. There is not much in common be* tween the two. It was necessary, said Mr Coates, in order that an expenditure reasonably approximating the cash appropriation may be obtained, to fix a limit to the authorisations, but this limit must be in excess of the cash appropriaton. That is andhe had fixed the limit of authorisations during the financial year at X 1,400,000- This meant, assuming the actual expenditure up to March 31 to be exactly regulated by the cash appropiation of ,£"984,860, that on April 1 there would be carried forward a liability against the fund of £415,140, in the shape of unexpended balances of authorities. The £l, 400,000 would be he'.'ecTter referred to as the amount determined for authorisation. '4) The amount determined fof authorisation would be apportioned to the various public works districts on the basis of the entitling percen* "ge. (5) The same entitling percentage was appiied to limit the actual cash e ,editure for the financial year.

Entitling Percentage. The following example would show clearly how the system worked out — assuming a total vote of £i,000,000, and a cash appropriation of ,£"600,000 : Total vote for New Zealand, say ... ... Total items for Wellington districc, say ... ... 100,000 Wellington's entitling percentage 10 percent Amount determined for authorisation, say ... 800,000 Wellington's quota, on per cent basis 80,000 Cash appropriation for financial year, 60 par cent of total vote 600,000 Wellington's limit of actual expenditure ... ... 60,00r> Unexpended balance of au-. thoritiesat March 31, available for expenditure until fresh appropriation pro- . vided in ensuing session of Parliament 10,600 6. For the present and each ensuing year the expenditure since April 1, and unexpended balance of authorities held 111 each district after the appropriations were passed, would be set against the amount determined for authorisation before notifying the district of the further amount that would be authorised. Thus, each district was assured for the year of its correct proportion. The only reason which would prevent a district receiving its proper share would be its own failure to submit its proposals for expenditure.and carry out the work in good time,' It would be observed, said theMinister, that each district's authorisation would bear exactly the same relation to the total amount determined for authorisation as its total ot individual votes bore to the total vote of the Dominion, and that its limit of actual expenditure within the financial year would bear exactly the same relaion to cash appropriation as its v0,.e3 bore to the total of the vote,