HIGHER ALLOCATION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 150, 28 June 1943, Page 6

HIGHER ALLOCATION

NG. 8 HIGHWAYS COUNCIL The cash allocation for all purposes was £69,429, compared with £58,322 last year, said the chairman of the No. 8 District Highways Council, Mr. G. VV. Sampson, when the estimates for the year ending March 31, 1944, were under consideration at the annual meeting in Wanganui on Friday. Though the allocation last year was £58,322, expenditure amounted to £72,000, other than that caused by military damage to roads, Mr. Sampson added. The allocation for the current year was higher, but when comparisons were made it would be seen that the position was not as easy as would first appear. Mr. Sampson stressed the difficulty experienced in maintaining highways last year because of the heavy military traffic, and referred in particular to the Horopito-BulLs State Highway, where continuous failures occurred over long lengths of road. “When presenting last year’s estimates I pointed out that there was a heavy reduction compared with the previous year’s allocation, - ’ Mr. Sampson commented. “If it had not been for the Main Highways Board finding more money later in the year we would have been in a very bad way. In addition to the money found for military damage on State highways, further sums, totalling £2lOO, were made available to counties. No new highways had been declared and no applications for new highways had been received by the council. When county requirements for the < urrent year were being considered the fact that the use of bitumen was controlled was taken into consideration. On State highways, except on lengths recently reconstructed, tar was being used, and Mr. Sampson said he felt that the same procedure should be followed on main highways. “By reconstructed lengths I mean those where the alignment has been brought up to highway standards, not only the old surface trimmed,’’ Mr. Sampson added. County representatives at the meeting were: Messrs. W. G. Belton (Palea). A. H. Collins (Wanganui), W. Doole (Rangitikei). R. Laird (Waitotara), and D. J. Berry (Waimarino). County engineers in attendance were Messrs. S. A. R. Mair (Rangitikei). T. Dix (Waitotara), R. R. Dawson (Wanganui), and W. F. Johnson (Patea). Th° chairman of the Waitotara Countv Council, Mr. W. Morrison, who is also a member of the Main Highways Board, and Mr. O. D. Bell, a Public Works Department engineer at Wanganui, also attended the meeting.