UPKEEP OF ROADS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20892, 23 November 1937, Page 11

UPKEEP OF ROADS

INCREASED COST IN RECENT YEARS

The cost of upkeep of the roads of New Zealand from 1933 to 1936 is discussed in. the annual report of the Transport Department for the year ended March 31, 1937. This report was presented to the House of Representatives recently. It showed that the expenditure on roads increased by more than £1,000,000 in the years under review. The cost for the year ended March 31, 1936, was £8,077,975; for the year ended March 31, 1934, the expenditure was £7,057,462. Maintenance absorbed £3,137,594 in 1935-36, construction £2,631,591 and interest and sinking fund charges £2,308,790. Of £2,862,799 spent on main highways in this period, £549,546 was loan money, £502,408 came from local rates, £45,638 was provided by unemployment taxation, £157,403 by general taxation and £1,607,804 by motor taxation. The total of £8,077,975 spent on all classes of roads was provided from the following sources:— Loan, £1,134,443; local rates, £2,445,91 unemployment taxation, £1,009,688; general taxation, £1,167,899; motor taxation, £2,320,031.

Commenting on these figures the report said that loan money expended showed an Increase of £305,000 over the previous year’s figure, and represented 14 per cent, of the money spent. This, however, was still in marked contrast to the year 1930-31, when this item wad almost 30 per cent, of the total. Local rates were still the chief source of money for expenditure. Unemployment taxation expended in 1935-36 showed a sharp decline of about £460,000. Motor taxation again showed a substantial increase, the figure for 1935-36 being £385,000 more than that of the previous year.