ASHBURTON ROAD BOARDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 575, 2 August 1909, Page 6

ASHBURTON ROAD BOARDS.

". QUESTION OF, AMALGAMATION, .. ; (By TeicßPaph.-Special l Oorrespondeht.) ..':■• ■.-■•■•;..'•'•* Chrlstchuroh, July 31. Just, about ■ twenty years ago delegates froin the various, road boards in the Ashburton' district, met in. conference with the County Council to the handing over of the administration ,of affairs of'the district' to the road boards,; or of ■ abolishing these bodies* ..and Jetting the .County Council do the wholb of f the work. At the time it was thought advisable not to disturb' the functions of any of the bodies. A similar conference was. held yesterday. Mr. Friedlander,' in, .opening- the discussion, ■ said he brought the matter forward with a view to seeiflg whether the work of the existing nine'road boards and the -County,; Couucfl could , not' be done' by one or 'more bodies and a considerable saying in , the annual expenditure effectetl without impairing the general efficiency of the work carried out in the district. Each : of the governing, bodies had rating powers, and each bad to keep its own paid officers, and, if anything 'could be done to reduce the ' aiinual expenditure without lessening the efficiency of the work-to be done, they should do it. He had suggested the' conference so that they could; ascertain if some amalgamation could not be effected whereby a saving could be made... Though the various road boards had ■ each rating powers; their respective incomes were not sufficient to enable them to incur heavy expenses for the machinery to do the work of forming and maintaining roads and ■ bridges 1 as cheaply and effectively as the works could be carried out; ■■'~.

Mr. C. J. Harper said at'present there was no' 'power by any Act of, Parliament to merge .the road boards into, the County Council., Tho various road boards we're doing good worki and if these bodies were merged into the County , Council, the cost •of the 'council would have to be" considerably increased; Th'ey would subdivide the present countyj and have a separato- council for each side of the' Ashburtoh River, but he hoped this would not be' done.

Mr. Grigg 'was afraid that. if the whole of the road boards were merged into one large body, some of tho smaller works in the; various districts would not be so well looked after as at present,though the main roads might not .'suffer. ( Mr. Harper moved: "That it is not advisable to invite the road boards to merge into the County Council at present." This was carried on the voices.

It was also resolved: "That this conference •'. recommends that it is desirablo to amalgamate some of the smaller road boards so as tb enable them to employ up-to-date nmohinery, iiid to eeoitrt) a more, efficient overeicbt over, the board's work,-"