11

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square miles. Five of these districts took a poll for a loan amounting in all to £2,000,000. The following table gives the growth of reticulation year by year from 1920 to .1928

Amendments to the original Act were passed in 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923, and all consolidated in the Power Boards Act, 1925. In April of 1925 an Act to make provision for the registration of engineers came into force, and the following year an Act enforcing the registration of electrical wiremen. The net result of this last has been to considerably raise the standard of work all round, to the material benefit of the consumer. In July of 1927 new regulations governing electrical supply and wiring were brought into service, being necessitated by the huge growth in the system of supply. ROADS CONSTRUCTION. Progress in respect to Roads Construction during the Period from Ist April, 1920, to 31st March, 1928. During the period mentioned above a sum amounting to £4,949,030 was expended by the Government on the construction of roads and bridges other than main highways. Details of the amounts of each class of roadwork completed are set out in the following statement, the figures shown representing the lengths completed either out of funds provided wholly by the Government or towards the cost of which the Government assisted the local bodies by way of subsidies.

Regarding the policy of the Government, in so far as roading is concerned, several new principles have been adopted which have tended to smoother and more advantageous working of the Public Works Department and greater co-operation between the Department and the local authorities. Among these is the system whereby the amount of funds made available by Parliament for roading purposes is automatically allocated to the various counties throughout the Dominion. The factors used in this system represent " Area," " Population," " Amount of rates derivable," " Total mileage of roads in use apart from metalled or surfaced roads," " Loans raised by local bodies," " Value of undeveloped Crown and Native lands," and " The estimated amount required to complete all roads as metalled roads." This system has worked very satisfactorily, and has been the means of a fairer distribution of the roading funds to the various districts than was previously the case. The area

Year ending Slat March, Stf Area of District p lation . Amount of Number licensed. supplied. 1 Loan. operating. Sq. miles. £ 1920 .. .. .. 10 17,000 138,000 2,000,000 1921 .. .. .. 14 19,000 158,000 2,900,000 1922 .. .. .. 23 31,000 470,000 4,900,000 4 1923 .. .. .. 31 47,000 582,000 6,600,000 9 1924 .. .. .. 36 58,000 680,000 7,900,000 13 1925 .. .. .. 40 62,500 776,000 9,400,000 27 1926 .. .. .. 41 63,300 781,000 10,100,000 32 1927 .. .. .. 42 64,000 800,000 11,000,000 34 "1928 .. .. .. 4-3 67,000 866,000 11,300,000 35

Formation. Surfacing. Period. Bridges. Culverts. 16 ft and TT , , „ n , » Metal or Under 16 ft. Concrete, &c. „ , over. Gravel. M. ch. M. ch. M. ch. M. eh. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. 1/4/20 to 31/3/23 .. 267 11£ 962 52 5 14 990 29£ 40,266 110,647 1/4/.23 to 31/3/24 .. 94 49f 375 23f 2 4 4-78 14f 17,477 47,481 1/4/24 to 31/3/25 .. 145 29J 323 59J 13 44 401 5| 15,268 52,388 1/4/25 to 31/3/26 .. 149 44| 309 41 12 65-| 456 20J 12,155 42,907 1/4/26 to 31/3/27 .. 124 10J 309 47-J 9 59" 453 29| 15,226 50,524 1/4/27 to 31/3/28 .. 173 22J 316 61| 5 12 489 19|- 15,188 65,318 Totals .. 954 8£ 2,597 45J 48 38J 3,268 39 115,580 369,265