MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 29 October 1924, Page 6

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

ALLOTMENT OF VOTES. EXPENDITURE OF £500,000. WELLINGTON DISTRICT ITEMS. The main highways appear for the first time in the Public Works Estimates, which were presented to Parliament oh Monday night. Divided into highways districts, the following are details of the estimated expenditure of £500,000 for the year:— £ Auckland North 64,307 Auckland South 78,397' Tauranga 34,158 Gisborne 66,957 Hawke’s Bay *51,740 King Country 21,400 Taranaki 53,936 Wanganui 21,796 Wellington West 59,731 Wellington East 31,558 North Island £483,950 Nelson 16,395 West Coast 35,161 Canterbury North . 35,968 Canterbury Central 7,311 Canterbury , South 6,650 Otago Central 2,772 Otago South 1,125 Southland 4,062 South Island £109,444, N Administrative 20,000 Workers’ compensation .. 1,500 £21,500 Total for N.Z £614,924 “There has been an ever-increasing number of complaints regarding damage by motor-vehicles throughout the Dominion, especially in the North Island, where metalling is so expensive. The regulation of motor traffic is essential, otherwise much of the expenditure that has taken place during recent years, and is still taking place, will to a large extent be wasted. The roads are built for all, and it is unreasonable that a road which is adequate and economical for 95 per cent, of the travellers ana transport organisations should be ruined by a few very heavy and rapidly-driven vehicles, in order that a few nlay make « little extra Erofit. The justice of these complaints as been recognised, and Parliament must give controlling authorities adequate powers to deal with the anomaly. “The necessity for improved maintenance cannot be too strongly stressed. Good work is done by local authorities and by the Government, but too often the belief seems to exist iii the minds of those responsible that, having laid down a good road, there is no need to do anything more for years to come. Nothing could b© farther from the truth and no belief more economically unsound. OUe of the provisions of the Main Highways Act, from which one may expect the greatest results, is that which' authorises the payment to local authorities of a subsidy of £1 for £2 on tlieir maintenance expenditure. I hope that , local authorities who are spending, say, £6O per annum per mile on their roads will not interpret and apply this section of' the Act as relieving them of portion of their in other words, that in future they should spend only £4O while the Highways Board provides the other £2O. This may be reasonable in some cases, but iny intention when framing this section was that the local authority would continue to spend its £6O and in addition another £3O provided by the Main Highways Maintenance Fund, and thoreby much better roads would result. and heavy, (in many cases) expenditure for reconstruction he postponed for years to come.”