ROADS AND BRIDGES,

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 16

ROADS AND BRIDGES,

and works of that sort, while they were in print and laid before Pailiament, when it was almost impossible to make any alteration. Such a system wai liable to bs abused, and he honestly believed it was abused. A large proportion of the money voted under the head of roads and bridges was, he believed, wasted. There were thousands of pounds voted for places that some members had never heard of, and as many members were very anxious about the welfare of their own districts they made no objection, and so the thing went on. Hj had a suspicion, however, that the district represented by the Piemier came in for the lion's share of the expenditure — (Applause.) And what was the remedy? One remedy was that a Public Works Committee should be set up to consider* all applications for public money, so that a check might be put on improper expenditure. He believed, however, that the real remedy would be found in an amendment of the Loans to Local Bodies Act. A year or two ago the rate of interest under that art was raised, which, he considered, was a mistake. When works were required in a district the bodies concerned ought to be encouraged to borrow under that act — indeed, he would even subsidise them. He

believed it would pay. Something ought certainly to bo done in the Way of subsidies. At present the local bodies were subsidised on the amount they collected, but, it ought to be oti the amount of the rate. If a local body straok a rate of Jld, and another a rate of lgd, the body striking the higher rate ought to have the higher subsidy. That would be an assistance to local bodies that were prepared to help themselves, and it would do away with the abominable system of grants for roads and bridges — a system that was turning the House of Representatives into a huge and corrupt board of works. The result was that, in the scramble for grants that took place at the end of every session, many members lest sight of the most important matters. — (Applause.) One of the greatest difficulties in connection with the expenditure was the