NATIONAL ROADING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 443, 27 August 1928, Page 9

NATIONAL ROADING

PROPOSAL TO CITY COUNCIL USING HIGHWAY FUNDS To give work to 4,612 men for a year at £4 a week is the proposal of Cr. A. J. Stallworthy, who has given notice to move at the City Council for the adoption of a national roading scheme, j The project advocated by Mr. Stallworthy is that unexpended money in the Main Highways Board’s revenue account should be utilisde in this direc - tion. The notice of motion is accompanied by an estimate indicating an available sum of £1,230,116. calculated to employ 4,612 men for a year at £4 a week each, after allowing for the costs of material and administration. Taking the Highways Board’s accumulated revenue at £ 922,887, Mr. Stallworthy adds £307.229 as representing subsidy of £1 for £3. Half the aggregate, or £615,058, representing the allocation for labour, would employ 3,075 men for 50 weeks. An estimated total of 1,537 additional men could be employed in the production of the material and transport, in which the other £ 615,058 would be absorbed. The proposal as explained by its advocate is that the Government should j instruct the Highways Board to cre- • ate an emergency account with unexpended balances. The board should then formulate four schemes, one for each main centre, and appoint an engineer in each island to supervise the schemes. There is no suggestion of interference with the Highways Board’s ordinary programme, as there is a largely-augmenf# d fticome from the petrol tax as from the beginning of April of this year. The scheme could -be put into operation in a few weeks, and it would involve no additional taxation.