Terrific Sum Needed For Road Work

Chronicle (Levin), 19 September 1949, Page 4

Terrific Sum Needed For Road Work

WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. , At le'aSt £57^000,660 is needed tb stren'gthen the. roads and replace bridges in the rural areas of New Zealand. This is stated by the NeW Zealand Couhties' Assoclation. The association has asked the Govemment for a £1 for ,£1 subSxdy Oh the expenditure on county roads bther than highways. RepresentativeB of the assoeialion stated their heeds to the Prime Miuis- , ter recently. With Mr. Fraser were the Minister 'of Finance, Mr. Nash, and Minister of Works, Mt. Semple. BhSic chhnges in the national eeoiiomy had thrOwft oh the roads a burden never ant'ieipated when. most of them were built, the associ'ation told the Government. Something more than the itain iiighways Aci was needed to keep the svstem functioning. It had been c'onservatlvely estimated that £40,000,000 was required, to strengthen adequately ihe e-rusts of existing rural toadS without considering dustless surfaces." -Eve,n if it were aceepted that one-third of the total mileage ?did not carry enough traffic tb warrant siirface strengthening, it still left a demand for £27,000,000. • Ih additi'On it was estimated that £30,000,000 "wOuld'be' needed in the immediate future for the replacement of old timber bridges with eoncrete bridges. These figures did not include about 4000 hilles of urban roads and streets. '"If. the .needed imprbvement iS spread over a 10-year period, ' ' the associatibn stated, '"'the annual requirementj .in addition to present expenditure, is £5,700,000. It must immediateiy be recognised that shch a sum eannot be produced under the present system Of road finance. The process of pateh and fix must be continued but unless the revenue of county councils is niaterially increhsed, there will be a steady deterioration. of road surfaces. ' ' . The assOciation said that from 1937 to 1948 the nuinber of licensed vehicles over two tons gross weight, increased by 65 per "C:erit. Total registfations, however,. ihcre'ased. b.y .56 per cent. This showed thesre >was" a far greater •increase in the . iumber of: heavy vehicles. J From 1935 to 1948 the expenditure on rhral roads from local rates increased by 74 per cent, and there were furt'.er all round inCreases last year. Though this compared with the increase in the numbet of hid'tor "vehicles, Ihe cost per unit of maintenance had increased tremendously and ih teifect there was now loss maintenance in comparison with usage than 10 or 12 years ago. The cost of road Burfacihg material was higher in districts where it was scarce t'han where it was plentiful, the association added. It therefOre considered that a general subsidy on expenditure was the most equitable form of assistance to county councils.