HIGHWAYS BOARD.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18405, 11 June 1925, Page 14

HIGHWAYS BOARD.

' RECENT ACTIVITIES. • Recent activities in connexion "ith the work of the Main Highways Board were touched on yesterday by Mr, J. D. Bruce, representative of South Island Counties, in the course of an interview with a' "Press" reporter. Mr Bruce said that he had recently inspected tho work that was being carried out on the road leading to Dunedin from Waitati,' which was being regiaded, metalled, and in parts tar-sealed. Good progress was being made, and it was confidently anticipated that the road, would be completed in time for the opening of tha Exhibition. In order to allow the work to be proceeded with with a minimum of interruption the road to Dunedin frcm Waitati, via Leith Valley, was being put in order, and as soon as. it was in a satisfactory condition traffic would be diverted to it from the main xoad. ' .

! Prior to proceeding to Dunedin, Mr Bruce, accompanied by Mr 'i'yndail, engineer to. tho Highways Board, visited Wairewa County and inspected the road from Motuiurara to the Hilltop, with u view to getting information as to the hest method of. permanently laying the read down. After inspecting the material at the disposal of the county, the engineer considered it so good that he was doubtful, provided it was properly used, whether it would he necessary to tar-seal tbe road or use a'ny other process on it. Ms thought that with proper maintenance the rood could be kept in first-class order, at not much greater expense than if it were tar-sealed; in fact, the difference between the two would be so little that it would be hard to decido which was the better. The engineer would submit a complete report on the matter to the Board at an early date. With regard to recent criticism us to the. 'argo amount of money expended on highways in the North Island in comparison with the South Islund, Mr Bruce drew attention to a matter he had referred to on previous occasions—the dilatoriness of South Island local bodies in making application for loans. As an instance of this, ho supplied the following particulars: Up to March 31st the amount expended by the Board on maintenance work in Group 1., Korth Island, was £76CS, and by the local bodits £B6OB, while on new worx tho amounts were £26,000 and £14,000 respectively. The amount spent by the .Board on maintenance work ou roads in Group 13, Kaikoura, district, was £I6OO, and by tho local bodies £3900, while on construction worK the nguies were *i3,61)0 and £IOOO. "Our report for the year is in pourso of preparation," said 'Mr Bruce, "and I would accordingly ask critics to suspend judgment on the Board until the whole of the facts are before them."

The discrepancy between the two islands in maintenance was, he added, only £7OOO for the year,. and considering the large volume of work entailed in regard to 6000 miles of road, and considering also that the Board had had no means of ascertaining tho exact proportions until a census of motor-cars had been taken, he was satisfied that the Board had made a good estimate. The Board proposed to ask the Minister of Public AVcrks to make an amendment to the Act giving the Board power to pay more than one-third and tip to 20s in the £ to local bodies for work on. the highways.