HUTT ROAD CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2274, 7 October 1914, Page 9

HUTT ROAD CONTROL

BOARD PROPOSED

A ROUND TABLE DEBATE

r As is fairly well known to all users, the Hutt Road is by no means the perfect thoroughfare it was three years Time and the weather have combined with neglect in maintenance to deDrive it of the eminence in which it was regarded as a highway. "• The trouble has arisen from the difficulty in arranging what all the local bodies concerned would agree to accept as an equitable allocation of the. capital cost of the reconstruction of the road. The Government has in a special Act laid down the proportion, bu\up to the present the local bodies concerned have been shy in paying up, and whilst they have been arguing about the allocation of the , capital cost, the maintenance of tho road has been neglected. His Worship the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke), being of the opinion that thi3 work should be attended to, called a meeting of all the local bodies' representatives concerned for tho purpose of setting up a Board of Control to take up the work at once of looking after this important road. He thought that the money needed by the.local bodies to pay their quota of the cost could be obtained from the Government at about 3i per. cent., and did not think that any body would need to go. to' the expense of raising a loan. He did not think the Government should charge for the book-keeping that.might be involved. He would move: — "(1) That tho Hutt Road Board be constituted as follows:—Welling- , ton, 1 representative; Petone, 1; Lower Hutt, 1; Makara, 1; Hutt County, 1; Onslow, 1; Johnsonville 'Road Board, Upper Hutt Road Board, Eastbourne. Borough Council, and Miramar Borough Council, 1 representative (for the four bodies)." \ "(2) That the board be empowered to construct, maintain, and control the Hutt Road." "(3) That the ' board bo given power to allocate tho liability, for : the maintenance of the road, and to ' control the charges." "(4) That the Bill constituting the board be furnished • with all necessary machinery clauses.to en- ; able it to perform its required functions." "(5) That the City Solicitor be empowered to draft a Bill embody- ' ing the - proposed powers, the same to be referred to the local authorities concerned before it is submitted to Parliament." Tho Mayor said that ho did not wish to say much about these resolutions, but he. thought they should come to some decision to-day, in order that the City Solicitor could draw up tho Bill and submit it to tho Crown Law Officers as early as possible, and so bring about a settlement of the business. The 'road was .very much damaged, aud it was contrary to the interests nf everybody that this public work should exist without anyone having control of it. N " Mr. H. Baldwin (Mayor of the Hutt) said that a lot of,- those present did not agree with Mr. Shortt's allocation of tho cost. What was their position there to-day?' ■ >', The Mayor said that they werq only considering tho question of maintenance just now. • ■ , . Mr. F. T. Moore (chairman Makara County Council) said that the road could not bo neglected any longer, and the longer they neglected to face the upkeep charges the more it would be.. If it did not commit them from ranking' individual appeals against the individual propositions, (of the. capital cost), he urged agreement with the Mayor s proposal. ■ , Mr. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petone) wished to know if the board would bo given complete power to allocate the amounts payable for maintenance. Mr. W. Organ. (Mayor of East-, bourne): "No,. no —that would never do!" Mr. C. C. Crump (Mayor of Onslow) pointed out th.it the existing Act provided for the payment of maintenance charges on the same scalo as that fixed by Sir. AV. S. Short (the Commissioner) for the payment of the capital cost. Mr. Organ's opinion was that the road should bo a ,Stato road. But all discussion was useless—it was no use kicking against the pricks. It was quite useloss trying.''to get away, from Mr. Short's decision, as the Government would not agree.- . ■ , , Mr. M'Ewan: "We object to the 18 per cent, we aro asked to pay for maintenance and capital cost."

Mr. M._W. Welch (Hutt County Council) : "This is an absolute waste of timo, and the allocations of -Mr. Short. I consider are quite reasonable. I'm sorry for our friend the Mayor of Petone, but wo'vo been dealt very fairly with by the Government, which has already knocked £40,000 off. How can wo say we are foing to object—it's absolutely absurd, ■will move that the Board of Control of seven members be set up as proposed by the chairman. Mr. Crump: "Is anything we do now without prejudice to the £40,000?" The chairman replied by stating that it was the plain duty of the meeting to set up the board. Mr. Crump: "That's an answer, and it isn't an answer." The chairman: "It's diplomatic, any. 'how!" Mr. F. Moore seconded the motion, and expressed the hope that the City Solicitor would see that the same regulations which applied to speed, lights, etc., in the City of Wellington, should be operative on the Hutt Road. The chairman said that as a corporate body the board would have power to make by-laws. Mr. O. Jerusalem (chairman of the Johnsonvillo Town Board) objected to tho constitution of the board, and Mr. M'Ewau quoted figures in support of Petono's grievance over tho allocation. "Wβ feel," said he,* , "that we have not been given a square deal by the late Government, whatever the present Government is prepared to do. ... If you will give me tho assurance that the board will have power to allocate tho cost to the local bodies, I will vote for it." Mr. Organ: "That is only beating the air." Finally tho motion adopting the resolutions as sot out above were passed. Mr. H. Baldwin asked that it be noted that he did not vote, and Mr. M'Ewan asked to be recorded as. a dissentient. 'On the motion of Mr. Organ, it was decided, that any resolution carried at the meeting should not be regarded as a waiver in respect of any appeal on the part of any of tho local bodies concerned against tho allocation of tho capital cc-st of tho construction of the Hutt Road.