D.—l.

The receipts from the Customs-tax on tyres and tubes shows a small increase on the amount for the preceding year. Registration, license fees, &c., amounted to a record total, exceeding by £500 the previous highest figures, reached in 1930-31. The receipts under this heading for the year ended 31st March, 1936, were over £40,000 more than for the year 1934-35. The proceeds from the motor-spirits tax were very much higher for the year 1935-36, exceeding the previous year's figure by £478,000, and representing the largest sum which has been credited to the Revenue Fund in any one year. The gross importations of motor-spirits since 1926 have been as follows, these figures providing a good index of the volume of motor traffic, to which maintenance requirements especially are closely related Gallons. Gallons. 1926 (January to December) .. 44,800,000 1931 (January to December).. 61,800,000 1927 „ .. 48,000,000 1932 „ .. 58,400,000 1928 „ .. 54,500,000 1933 „ .. 55,400,000 1929 „ ... 62,400,000 1934 „ .. 64,600,000 1930 „ .. 68,300,000 1935 „ .. 65,300,000 It will be seen that the importations for the calendar year 1935 were slightly more than for 1934. For the year ended 31st March, 1936, the summarized expenditure under the Revenue Fund was as follows : — Expenditure. Maintenance works — £ North Island .. .. .. .. .. .. 771,289 South Island .. .. .. .. .. .. 418,890 Administration and general charges .. .. .. . . 56,732 Loan charges (including commutation of toll-gate charges and Hutt Road fees) .. .. .. .. .. .. 291,651 Subsidies on rates .. .. .. .. .. .. 184,855 Special subsidy on farm-land rates. (Finance Act, 1935) .. .. 186,117 £1,909,534 An analysis of the expenditure for 1935-36 by the Board and by local authorities on maintenance, as distinct from interest on loans and other overhead charges, is shown in the tabulation below : —•

An analysis of the actual expenditure by the Board on maintenance in each Island, as compared with the number of motor-vehicles in each Island at the 31st March, shows the following comparisons for the last ten years : —

122

T . Percentage Percentage OontrfbntLn Authorities' Total. p Boa^, s . Authorities' Contribution. Contrjbution C °^ on Contribution to iotal. tQ Total £ £ £ North Island .. .. .. 771,289 190,619 961,908 80-18 19-82 South Island .. .. .. 418,890 93,804 512,694 81-70 18-30-Total ... ... ' 1,190,179 284,423 1,474,602 80-71 19-29

1926-27. 1927-28. j 1928-29. j 1929-30. 1930-31. J 1931-32. 1932-33. 1933-34. J 1935-36. | — . __ . North Island — Maintenance expen- 64-86 67-51 66-13 62-30 59-23 62-31 62-84 63-80 65-44 64-80 diture Motor-vehicles .. 61-86 62-19 63-08 63-63 63-84 63-77 63-78 63-94 64-31 64-84 South Island— Maintenance expen- 35-14 32-49 33-87 37-70 40-77 37-69 37-16 36-20 34-56 35-20 diture Motor-vehicles .. 38-14 37-81 36-92 36-37 36-16 36-23 36-22 36-06 35-69 35-16