ESTIMATES REDUCED

Wairarapa Daily Times, 18 January 1932, Page 4

ESTIMATES REDUCED

HIGHWAYS FINANCE. In a letter which was before the Masterton County Council at its meeting on Saturday, the District Engineer, Public Works Department, advised that the monetary authority for main highways had been issued to December 31, 1931, and that there still remained one quarter’s maintenance to be authorised for the current financial year. Beforeissuing this balance, however, the board requested that the council review the amounts needed for the whole year, irrespective of what amounts appeared on the appropriations for particular sections. A schedule was forwarded showing the position of the maintenance authorities and it was requested that the particulars be filled in showing the estimated additional subsidy required to cover the cost of maintenance to March 31, 1932. The information was desired in order that when applying for the necessary monetary authority for the remaining quarter’s maintenance, adequate but not excessive amounts should be applied for so that at the end of the year there might not be such a large carryforward, as hitherto, of unexpended balances.

The Clerk (Mr. J. C, D. Mackley) reported that they would require the full amount of the subsidy applied for on the Wellington-Napier Highway, but that the estimated expenditure on the Masterton-Weber Highway could be further reduced by £SOO. The Mas-terton-Tinui and the Te Ore Ore-Bide-ford highway maintenance estimate* could both be further reduced £3OO and £66 respectively. The estimates foi Stronvar and for Westmere would have to remain unaltered. In the case of the Masterton-Martinborough Highway, they would need an additional £IOO. The board had previously reduced the estimate for this highway by £IOO and the sum to be applied for would even it up.

On the motion of the chairman (Councillor W. I. Armstrong), the figures as submitted by the Clerk were adopted.