THE ARTERIAL ROADS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 252, 12 July 1918, Page 6

THE ARTERIAL ROADS

S AN OLD REQUEST—AND A NEW i REI'LV. | The suggestion lliat the arterial roads ! of tho Dominion slioulcl lie nationalised was made again by a deputation from tho Waimarino district which waited on ; »-the Minister of Public Works (Sir Wil- ! liain Eraser) and the Minister in Chargo of Prisons,(the Hon. T. M. Wilford). Mr. ; "Wilford was present at the deputation bccniop a .request was Ijelng iiiade that ; prison labour might lie used for the malci nif of some necessary roads. ; . Mr. Wilford said that lie recognised ' that some local bodies found themselves) • in sore straits at prpsent, but he would not advocate the policy that local bodies | . generally should rely on the Government ! . for everything in preference to helping ! themselves. . i 1 Sir William Eraser said that the question of the State control and maintenance of nutiir roads was a matter for legislation. But he said that the Government would never entertain tho pro- , posal tliat the work of making the roads nml keeping them should be paid for ' out of ordinary funds. No Government would do that. The great bulk of tho cost must be found from rales or taxes on the lands benefited. Every acre of 1 laud served by such improved roads : would be increased in value by the im- | provements, and there was no reason why i a present of this increase in value (should be made to the landowner. Sir William Eraser said that there were local Imdies which sought to evade nil liability for public.'works. He mentioned the case of one road that had been ' formed and metalled by the Goveynment, but the local body had not done anything to maintain thai, new road after I it was made. In Iwo years not a single mirfaceman had been employed on it.