§ Mr. SPEARasked the Secretary to the Treasury if the Road Board are informing county councils that they will not contribute towards the cost of road improvement in those cases where the county council employs the district councils as their agents in maintaining the main roads; and is he aware that in so doing the Road Board are attempting to interfere with the liberty of judgment of the county councils in choosing the most efficient and economical method of doing the work?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTH (Lord of the Treasury)The Road Board have not informed county councils that they will not contribute towards the cost of road improvement in cases where main roads are maintained by district councils. In each case the Board endeavour to satisfy themselves without imposing any conditions on the highway authority applying for a grant' that there is a reasonable probability of the proposed work of improvement being properly executed and maintained.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANasked whether the Road Board set aside any part of their grant exclusively for the construction of new highways; and whether any grants have yet been made for new highways?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe Road Board have not set aside any part of the road improvement grant for the construction of new highways, and no grants have yet been made for that purpose.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANasked how much of the sum promised to the Road Board was paid over to the Board up to 31st March, 1911; how much the Commissioners paid to the various local authorities up to that date; and what it is proposed should be done with the balance, if any, remaining unallotted at that date?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe receipts of the Road Board up to 31st March, 1911, amounted to £862,640 15s. 9d. Applications have been made to the Board for an aggregate amount of about seven and three-quarters millions sterling.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANasked what was the total sum to be allotted during the current year to the Road Board; and what was the amount which had already been applied for out of the grant for this year?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe receipts of the Road Board up to 31st March, 1911, amounted to £862,640 15s. 9d. The total grants made by the Road Board with the approval of the Treasury to highway authorities up to the same date amounted to £108,399, and £8,420 was paid on account of these grants. The balance is being applied by the Road Board in accordance with the provisions of the Development and Road Improvement Funds Act, 1909.