The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1921. THE HIGHWAYS BILL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 673, 7 October 1921, Page 4

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1921. THE HIGHWAYS BILL.

Hon. J. C. Coates, Minister of Public Works, has given the outlines of his Highways Bill, which is to be introduced into the House of Representatives at an early date. It is proposed to set up a Highways Board with a personnel of four, and this will be empowered to make the best provisions for carrying out the roading scheme, being practically given a

“We nothing extenuate, nor aught set down in malice.”

free hand. As the Minister pointed out, the demand for good roads comes ■primarily from those who travel at a high speed, and consequently it is just that they should be called upon to meet a portion of the cost. This it is proposed to raise on motors. This fee would be uniform, all motorists being required to contribute the same proportion, no matter whether they are adjacent to the arterial road or not. The cost of construction and maintenance is to come out of the Public Works and Consolidation

Funds respectively. It is proposed to take over some 2000 miles of roads, the average cost of maintenance being from £2O to £BO per mile. The president of the Counties Conference, to which the Minister outlined the propsals, commended the Minister upon his desire to do something towards solving a difficult problem, but expressed doubt concerning the adoption of the scheme, and it is indictive of the feeling of the conference that recently it adopted (the report of a committee declaring it would be prejudicial to the success of local government if the control of the main roads were taken over by the Government. No doubt when the Bill is before parliament it will be critically discussed. All its provisions may not be perfect, but, as Mr Juli admitted, it represents an earnest effort to do something to meet an urgent need, and if members will follow up the Minister’s endeavour with a determination to find a way out they will certainly be serving the country well. Good arterial roads are essential to progress. The majority of the local bodies have hitherto failed to provide these, and it is imperative that the position should be faced without further delay. If, as is apparently the case, the task is beyond the capacity of local governing bodies some other system must be tried, and the conviction is growing that as a comprehensive and uniform policy is needed, it is essentially & Government undertaking. The point is therefore: Has the Minister for Public Works evolved a scheme calculated to meet the object in view—to provide good arterial roads to meet the clamorous needs of modern traffic ?

Bowlers (and their friends should note that the official opening of the Pukekohe Bowling Club’s green takes place to-morrow (Saturday), at 2.15 p.m. sharp. A good afternoon’s sport is assured 1 .

The final social by the Church of England Ladies’ Guild, in aid of the forthcoming Flower Show, will take place in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Tuesday, 11th October. A particularly good 1 programme has been arranged, and a tasty supper will be provided.

The “ladies’ afternoon’ at the local Bowling Club’s green yesterday afternoon, arranged and conducted by the wives of the v(ce-presidents of the club (Messrs Armstrong and Keith) proved moqt enjoyable, the ladies much appreciating a game of bowls. There were a large number present, and a most successful afternoon resulted.

.At Tuesday’s night’s meeting of the Tuakau Town Board, it was resolved, by way of special order, that gorse (Ulea Europoeus) and l ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum) should be noxious weeds within the Tuakau Town District. An advertisement to this effect appears in this issue.

Mr C. E. G. Tisdall, ,the organising secretary for the Anglican Provincial Board of Missions in the Diocese of Auckland, is about to visit Pukekohe. On Sunday he will preach at St. Andrew’s Church in the morning, and at St. Paul’s, Buckland, at night. He will also give a “Missionary Talk”, illustrated with lantern views, at St. Andrew’s Church on Monday evening, and at Buckland on Tuesday evening. Mr Tisdall has had 22 years’ personal experience of Mission work in Persia and Malaya. A well-selected choice;of illustrations makes this week’s issue of the Sporting and Dramatic Review a highly attractive one. Outstanding in the racing section are snapshots of the Avondale Jockey Club’s meeting depicting interesting starts and finishes, the Otaki races, and the Spring Racing and Trotting Carnivals in Sydney. The Girls' Association football match between Wellington and Canterbury makes a novel page, and the Girls’ League match in Sydney adds to the uniqueness of the photographs. The miscellaneous-^por-tion covers events of typical interest.

Local authorities as a whole are using their influence with a view of eradicating noxious weeds throughout the districts, and in most cases they are successful. One body, not very many miles from Pukekohe, have from time to time urged upon the inspector to take action compelling pro-perty-owners to clear their land of the pest, and this official is complying with the request, as ;at the last meeting of this particular governing bed} a notice was received drawing its attention to the blackberry on its property, with a request it be cleared as early as possible. It was pointed out that the property was not half

as bad as when the body took it over. It was decided to have the weeds cut.