THE PAST YEAR.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19150, 5 November 1927, Page 4

THE PAST YEAR.

Local Highways Improve- , merits.

Specially Written for "t&he Press." November the sth, the opening of Olympia, means that another year has passed oyer our heads. The outstanding features of that year so far as Canterbury motorists are concerned is the building and completion of the Selwyn bridge on the Main South road. It has taken many years of strenuous agitation to bring this about, and what a boon it will be to users of the main through highway! The detour of eight miles or more when the river was in flood has been the cause of great inconvenience to the motoring public. Not only is the bridge completed, but that shocking stretch of road between Rolleston and the Rakaia bridge is now undergoing reconstruction, and we are shortly to have a gravel road made under the latest and most approved methods. It will surely be a "red letter" day in the annals of Canterbury motoring when all' is completed and in working order, and should to some extent satisfy numerous "croakers" who want to know when some of the money contributed by the motorists is going to be spent on our roads.

BITUMINOUS ROADS. Most of the bituminous surfaced roads put down by the Paparua and Waimairi Counties have been under traffic for about twelve months, and up to now one can. say that they are eminently satisfactory. A portion on the Riccarton road which has been interlocked with the tram tracks has suffered through the constant vibration caused by the trams; otherwise they appear to be standing up well, and one would naturally expect to see in the near future a continuation of these further afield. ASSISTANCE TO COUNTIES.

It is to be hoped that the Main Highways Board will see fit to assist and help the counties close to the towns and cities which have to carry such a large amount of through traffic on sections of their main highways. In some cases everything that travels on wheels is going to and fro over the same section, and surely it is unfair to expect a county to bear half the burden of constructing an up-to-date road fit to carry the traffic so much of which is foreign to the county concerned.

There is Jittle doubt that if the Highways Board see its way to deal with these matters on a more "equitable basis it would tend to alleviate quite a lot of the feeling of unfairness which exists in certain quarters today. %

MOTOR VEHICLES ACT._ Certain proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act are now before the House, one of the most important of which is to alter the exemption clause in the Act which allows certain Government and public and local body vehicles to use the roads free of tax, license fee, and registration, which has meant the loss of quite a considerable amount of revenue to the Highways Board annually.

The counties of Canterbury as a whole are to be congratulated upon their improved methods of maintenance. Some, however, are still lagging behind in this matter, but the engineers of the Highways Board are consantly stirring them up and are gradually bringing them into line.

The financial stringency which the whole country has been undergoing during the last twelve months has no doubt mitigated against many improvements being carried out on our main highways. However, a survey of the main highways in general shows that steady progress is being made, and this is most noticeable in counties where road graders are in constant use.

The proposed amalgamation of certain counties is undoubtedly a step in the right direction,-as the counties are in many cases far too small to cope with their roads in a proper and efficient manner, not having sufficient revenue to purchase the necessary up-to-date road machinery so important these days of fast-moving traffic.

VALUE OF ORGANISATION. " - * ' In conclusion I would like to stress: upon vmotorists the ever-increasing need for strong motoring organisations. The subscriptions are small- and the benefits many. Motorists are faced each year with ia suggested? increase of' taxation. At the present time a petrol tax has been decided on; possibly it is justified, but at the samo tiMe motorists should be strongly organised to see .that that particular tax, or any other that may be introduced, is fair, just, and equitable. 'v The motorists of the South Island number something about 40,000, and out of that number only about 11,000 are linked up as members with the Motor Associations. It must be remembered that the small contribution asked of them may mean the saving of many pounds per annum, and that their support iand assistance mean everything. An example of this is the 15 per cent, reduction of insurance premiums all over the Dominion, perhaps saving motorists a sum of anything up to and over £50,000 annually. J. S. HAWKES, Secretary, Canterbury Automobile Association.