THE HUTT ROAD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1874, 7 October 1913, Page 4

THE HUTT ROAD.

« 1 LOCAL BODIES AND THE BILL. ' 1 REDUCTION DEMANDED. j ( PRIME MINISTER SYMPATHETIC ANOTHER COMMISSION. ' c A big reduction in the amount ' (£100,000) demanded by the' Govern- i ment from tho local bodies interested in 1 tho Hutt Road was asked for by a re- J presentative deputation which inter- j viewed the Hon. W. F. Massey (Primo i Minister) and tho Hon. W. H. Herries s (Minister of Railways) yesterday. Tho 1 deputation, which was introduced by ' tho Hon. A. L. Hordmau, consisted of . Messrs. J. P. Luke (Mayor of Welling- j ton), E. P. Biumy (Mayor of Lower , Hutt), F. Holdsworth (Mayor of Ons- ' low)> F. T. Jlooro (Makara County Council), O. Jerusalem (Johnsonyillo Town Board), F. Townsend (Mayor of j Miramar), It." H. Webb (chairman Up- . per Hutt Town Board), AV. Galloway (Hutt County Council), W. J. Organ ] (Mayor of Eastbourne), W. H. Morton (Wellington City Engineer), and J. 11. Palmer (Wellington Town Clerk). Mr. Luke apologised for tho absence of tlio Hon. F. M. B. Fisher and of Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P. Ho went on to j state that the deputation had como more particularly to seo how much tho . Government would pay towards the ] construction of tho Hutt road. Tlio , road itself, apart from tho railway, had cost £18,000 per mile. They wero not tbero to criticise the capacity of tho Government engineers, but ho took it that the Primo Minister and Mr. Her- ! lies would recognise, as honest, straightforward men, that tho local authorities J should not bo called upon to bear tho . cost of this road. The road was there beforo tho railway, Mr. Luko continued, ] and consequently whatever work was , required in connection with the recon- ! struction and depulication of the rail- , way lino should not bo debited to the J road. Lifting up the level of the rail- ! way had necessitated lifting up tho ] road as well. A largo amount of work ' had been dono on tho road which , would not havo been required if it had . bson a distinct work from tho railway. . Speaking of tho strain which would bo . imposed upon tho finances of tho local bodies Mr. Luko said that they would : bo called upon to pay annually tho fol- j lowing percentages of their present to- ! tal rates: Petono, nine per cent.; Lower Hutt, four and a quarter per cent.; Makara County, twenty-five per cent.; i Hutt County, six per cent.; Onslow Borough, eloven per cent.; Upper Hutt, : six per cent; Eastbourne, threo per : cent.; and Miramar, one-seventh per . cent. Tho responsibility, Mr. Luko went on to submit, was largely ono of a Dominion character. He was not going to split straws as to the amount -that Itlio Government should contribute, but suggested that it was the duty of the Government to bear fifty per cent, of the cost of tho road. Those associated with him would probably not be satisfied with that, but, speaking as Mayor of tho City, ho would recommend such a composition to his council. Tho Primo Minister: I hopo tho other gentlomen will oxpress an opinion on that point. Petone Will Not Pay. Mr. J. W. M'Ewan said that the position of Potone was rather different to that of tho city. The city was a very wealthy corporation while his council controlled a small aroa, and was poor. It was called upon to pay eighteen per ; cent, of the total cost of tho road, ! namely £1800. Witli tho ruling rates for monev this would moan an annual charge or not less than £900. Then thcro was tho cost of maintenance, of which also Petono had to bear eighteen per cent. It' was estimated that it would cost £3000 a year to maintain tho road. Of this amount v Petono would have to pay £540, so that its total annual liability in respect of tho ' road would bo £1440. This would mean an increaso of twenty per cent, upon tho total rating of tho borough. Originally, tho cost of tho whole work was ostimated at £100,000, and this was to be reduced by the value of land reclaimed. Under these circumstances, ho called upon tho Ministers to recognise, as honest men, that tho local bodies should not bo asked to bear tho cost actually incurred. There was abundant evidence of the blundering incapacity that had marked tho progress of the work. It lia*d been described as worthy of prehistoric times, but the comparison was unfair to people who lived in prehistoric times. In his opinion, the propor solution of tho difficulty would bo to constitute the road a main arterial highway. Tho motor _ traffic to tlio Wairarapa was rapidly increasing, and was liltely to go on doing so. Recently, a load of furniture had been taken to Eketahuna, from Wellington, by road at a lower rate than was charged by tho railways. The Minister of Public Works, Mr. M'Ewan pointed out, had recently expressed approval of a proposal to form a main arterial road right through from Marlborough to tho Wost Coast. "If the local bodies are called upon to pay tho whole cost of. the road," he remarked in conclusion, "I wißh to state emphatically, on behalf of my council, that it declines to pay, and will leave it to tho Government to take such steps as it may deem advisable to enforce payment." Fifty Per Cent.The Prime Minister: What about that .fifty per cent, suggested by tho Mayor of Wellington? Mr. Luke: Tho Mayor of Wellington is n- Liberal I The Prime Minister (to Mr. M'Ewan): I want you to express an opinion on that point. Mr. Herries: You are not going to pay anything? Mr. M'Ewan shook his head. Mr. E. P. Bunny said that he thought tho local bodies wero quite prepared to pay what was reasonable. Tho difficulty was to determine what was a reasonable amount. His own opinion was that fifty per cent, was a very largo assessment to expect tho local bodies to pay. On this basis, Lower Hutt would have to pay some £600 a year towards, the -cost and maintenance of tho road. Already the borough paid £750 a year towards expenditure upon hospitals and charitable aid. If the wholo cost and maintenance of the road wero thrown upon tho local bodies, he considered that they would be absolutely unablo to pay, and tho Government would have to put in a receiver. Tho amount domanded was absolutely beyond their means. Tlio City of Wellington, Mr. Bunny remarked, could very well afford to pay its share, but the other local bodies should bo granted reliof. . ! "A Torrlfio Tax." Mr. F. T. Moore 6poko on behalf of tho Makara and Hutt Counties. Under tho present proposal, ho said, Makara County would have 25 per cent, of its revenue taken away to pay its share of the cost of the road, and 15 per cent, of its revenue to meet tho cost of maintenance ; 40 per cent, in all. Tho county was populated by small farmers, who lived round Wellington and occupied poor land. They would find the £800 a year which they were called upon to find for tho Hutt Road a terrific tax. The reason that so large a sharo of tho cost of tho road had been debited to Makara woo that several large cityJotvaod iudmtrios existed in tlio cguiilyj^

Ho suggested that the counties should bo excused from paying any sharo of tho cost or maintenance of tho road, and that tho Government should confino its demand to tho city and boroughs. Tho Primo Minister: You think tho boroughs ought to pay? (Laughter.) Mr. Luke submitted that Wellington was pretty well filled up, and that future growth would take place in other districts adjacent to tlio road. Cost of Maintenance. Mr. W. IT. Morton (City Engineer) said that' ho estimated that tho annual maintenance of the road, exclusivo of tho expense of removing slips, would cost somewhere about £3000. Tile Primo Minister: Soven miles? Mr. Morton: About livo and a half. With regard to tho removal of slips, ho added, there was practically no placo at all along tlio road where any material could bo deposited so that tho authorities engaged in maintaining the road would be absolutely dependent upon reclamations which might bo mado at tho Petone and Thorndon ends of tho road in getting rid of material that camo down in slips. Ho was porfectly satisfied that the last of the slips had not como down. The expense of removing slips would bo considerable, and in addition a certain amount of capital expenditure would bo required on steam road-rollers, scarifiers, etc. It would probably bo necessary, also ; to acquire a quarry from which to obtain tho metal required in tlio road. Sir. Luko said that another request he had to lay beforo tho Primo Minister was that the road should bo vested, not in tho City Council, but in tho whole of the local bodieß concerned. Mr. Horries 6aid that the road must bo vested in one local body or in a board. Mr. F. Holdsworth (Mayor ofp Onslow) said thai his borough t'M not hold itself responsible for the removal of slips. Primo Minister In Roply. Tho Prime Minister said that personally ho had a good deal of sympathy with the local bodies in tho position in which they were placed in . connection with the cost and maintenance of tho Hutt Road. It would bo recognised, however, that tho duty of Ministers was to the general taxpayer—tlioy must seo that no burdens wero imposed upon tho general taxpayer which ho should not bo called upon to bear. His memory was that tho. arrangement entered into at tho time when the work upon the road was undertaken was perfectly clear. Tho arrangement was that tho local bodies should contribute towards the cost of this work in proportion to the benefits recoived and their ability to pay. Ho could not give a definite answer then and there. Possibly, if tho local bodies agreed, another commission of responsible men might be appointed to say whether the local bodies should bear the whole cost of tho road, or should bo relieved of any part of it. This was a matter for Cabinet, not for any individual Minister, or two or three Ministers. Ho would lay tho representations they had made beforo Cabinet within a week. Mr. Luke: Will you hold back the vesting of tho road? The Primo Minister: Oh, yos. Wo will not go on with tho vesting of tho road until somo definite arrangemont has been made. Mr. Luke: AVo go away with a firm conviction that you are going to meet us in this matter.