ROADS AND BRIDGES BRIBERY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12842, 27 November 1905, Page 7

ROADS AND BRIDGES BRIBERY.

Mr Allen devoted some time to ,correcting misstatements that bad been made by the Lyttelton Times " regarding the expenditure of public- works-n-otes. ■ In C-hristchurch he (Mr Allen) gave an instance of the difference in the ratio of expenditure of public works in Canterbury and Westland, saying that in Canterbury only 18 per cent, of the votes was,expended by the 31st Harch, but in ■Westland 65 per cent. The "Lyttelton Times " did-iot like that; it went home to'.'the ; -people, and they denied the accuracy-of the, statement. Then tli-5-y found that it was , correct, but said that he had not put the case fairly; he Ought to have given ail the public works expenditure, including the. railway votes. They got a telegram from the Premier, and put it in without examining the figures—"l never believe the Premier's figures without- examining them; very often he does not believe them, .himself." The telegram' gave the V»tes £146.000 for Canterbury and, £139,000 'pent; for Westland £BS,&OCF/vbtM and 351,000 spent. That would have been -try good if correct. He asked the "Lyt-' -elton Times" for details, and they put hem in, not knojyng and not suspecting rhat they we^^^Ling—how they were putting their in it." Among the etails given was x>ne that ■ out of i vote of £23,708 for additions'to open nes, £49,338 had been manifest hpossibility. On seeing-, these details" Be ut a question of the Order Paper to the [inister of Railways, whether there had ?en a vote of £23,704 for additions to oen lines in Canterbury,and the ilinister i reply said he did not know how the hires had been arrived at. The fact was tat the person who made up' the figures irluded votes for rolling stock, inter-lo&k----ij signals, and such things, for the whole c the lines. Then the " Lyttelton Times" tried to cud the issue by saying that the figures «.y showed what had Been expended .up i the 31st of March, .-'and the balance rthe votes had beea expended later in. t year. But if a vote was not exjded by the 31st March -it had to be soted. oiother point he made in Christchurch " that the public works votes ai ; e under t control of the Ministers, and that thev unfairly expended. He proved licase_ from the returns of 1904-5. Up tlie' olst of March, 75 per cent, of the vs for Taranaki had been expended, onlv 2er cent, in Otago. Or goldfield road's 6er cent, in Westland, 35 per cent, in Qo ; roads under the Minister of Lands, 6jer cent, in Westland, 31 in Otago. Cr ratios were—66 Westland, 35 Cant.uy; 60 Westland, 31 Otago; 115 "Viand (exceeding the vote), 28 Otago Southland; 87 Westland, 64 Otago; 92 \'!;md, 52 Otago and Southland. To <• to their own district for a more 3et; example. There were ten votes for. Cuine county and only two were ex-

pended. What was the good of the House voting moneys if thev were not- expended? Some members would say " What is the use of talking like that? The Ministry cannot spend tjie money by the 31st of March or they 'would have nothing to go on with till November ?" That was said by the Government. Whip at Temuka not long ago. But he ought to know that the Public Revenues Act'allows the- Government to go on with expenditure at the same rate as the'votes till-the end of June, and before that date an Imprest supply Bill gives them a fresh- start. The fact, is, said Mr Allen, "these roads and bridges votes are used for electioneering purposes. ■ If you bad a chart of the appropriations year bv year on .the wail you" could tell which were the-election yea-Tsby the large appropriations the year- before, the large following year.'" - This. two millions^dhgtbg? Public Works "Estimates,":: but..only £600.000, hkd been spent by the. end of Septembe|,•.itwould be impossible a half in the next half year.- It- .was never intended to spend'"it, These votes were sitnply put down for bribes. The <Jp--gosition do away with this sysaltogether by relegating tie upkeep of roads and bridges altogether to the local bodies, who knew better what was wanted, strengthening their finance to enable them tq dd ; the work. The Government, year after ; year, promise'd a new Local Govern-ment'-Bill, but always shrank" from bringing it in> because it would mean giving up their jpatronage, and because they can' now manipulate the expenditure and ; shift about co-operative workers to increase their votes where at election time's. , ' The Government had talked of the /finance; of the local bodies. . But how? By enabling theiri to strike higher rates. The Qppositionpropbsal was that a bddy' tliat raised the highest rate should get the higher) subsidy from - the State : that those Should.'; be helped who helped themselves.