MAP ROADS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 June 1922, Page 4

MAP ROADS.

ADVANCE OF .THE .MOTOR

ATTITUDE OF WELLINGTON

CONFERENCE

WELLINGTON, June 9.

V full official statement regarding tile work of the Arterial Roads Confer- ( enee, was issued for publication by the .Minister of Public .Works (Hon. J. 0. Coates to-day. It was unanimously agreed, first that , better main roads were necessary, and secondly that it would be necessary to set up some such organisation as a Highways Board, whose special duty it would bo to bring about an improved standard of road construction and maintenance, but it was recognised that the existing governing authorities, whether Crown or local, could not, with the funds now available, bring about any special improvement. Alter a discussion lasting a day and a half, all ; the parties began to converge towards ' a common point of view, and tile genera! sense or feeling of the meeting i was somewhat as follows:

‘ Improved 'roads being primarily* required for the use of motor traffic, it Was generally acknowledged that tho motors themselves must provide a considerable proportion of the now money necessary to provide an improved standard of construction and maintenance. Tt was assumed for the purposes of the discussion, that something like £300,000 must be produced from this source. To this would he added practically the same sum per annum as is now’provided from the Consolidated and Public Works Funds, but spent on what the conference suggested should he called main traffic roads, and what would under the classification scheme, he term-

ed main arterial highways,, and roads of secondary importance, bn* would not include any departmental roads or roads <jf purely local interest. The total funds .thus assumed to lie availahle would he something over £300,000., Coining to the disposal of these funds, it was generally recognised that a por-j lion must he devoted to the mainten-j ance and a portion to the improvement, of existing standards, involving the re-1 construction, or deviation of others. It was suggested, and generally agreed.i that a portion at the least of the funds,' must be paid to the existing local authorities on a graded basis, depend-! ing partly* on the amount of ‘ rates! collected, and partly* on the proportion which the rate itself bore to the maximum allowed l»,v the Act . I Ills sum would be spent by* the local authorities,

on approved works to he carried out ! on main traffic roads. A portion of this money might he devoted to actual construction, and a portion to the payment of interest and sinking fund on loans to be raised. County representatives went so far as to say that their organisation would support a proposal whereby, in the event of their receiving money for permanent. improvements they would pay two-tliiids interest and ■ sinking fund, provided the highways j account paid tbc other third, ll was imt definitely agreed whether this should come out of the previously men-

tioned subsidy on rates or whether this would bo a further amount to be paid to local anthoritios. The General Government "ill require to maintain, for a time at least, the reads whi eh it sit present maintains, these roads, having Ircen taken over by the general Government in the past on account of the financial condition of tho

local authorities, through whose territory they run, same being poor and undeveloped. It was recognised that substantial progress and improvement would require a certain amount of borrowing. and it was agreed that a sum of approximately £150.00(1 should he devoted to the payment of interest an,! sinking fund on loans to be raised for permanent road improvement. As in the early stages of the work, the amount, necessary for interest and sink-

ing fund would only he a portion, the balance would he used in practically paying for actual work.

MATN ARTERIAL ROADS. Although the country representatives were averse to any classification ol roads into main arterial roads and olliers of less importance, it was generally recognised that there are certain loads which are of more general Do-minion-wide interest than the great majority of Is. These the Minister has always referred to *ns “main arterial roads," and ever since the motor interests have clamoured for better roads there has always been an understanding in the public mind tlijit this relerred tii iiiterial connexions throughout tlie country. Tile Minister indicated tliat*’lie favoured a portion of the funds being devoted specifically to these

arterial roads, and that iu order to overcome, any apparent injustice which might he I'elt if valuable improvements were done in the territory of counties which had not made any special effort in the past l" grapple with the problem while others had manfully faced the position, it was suggested that the main highway authority might, in a way, purchase these roads or a proportion of them; in other words, make an annual payment which would represent a proportion of the future interest and sinking fund on past local body expenditure. For instance, assume that a local body has built a first-class road at

a cost of, say £3OOO per mile, and that the interest and sinking fund throughout amounted to £IBO per annum per mile; then taking the proportion suggested by the county representatives, the Government would pay COO per annum per mile. In the ease of a local body with less traffic and consequently a less expensive road, though one perhaps quite adequate, which might have spent only £2OOO. it would bv the reasoning above, receive £4O per mile per annum. The figures above refer only to surfacing, and not to the original formation of culverts and bridges, ns those have quite largely been paid for by the general Government. The balance of the fund would he allocated by advice of the Main Highways Board for special works of either bridging, deviation, or general improvements wherever requirements seemed to indicate the greatest necessity. THE MOTORISTS’ PART.

When, during tlio discussion regarding available ways and means, it became apparent that something like £150,000 would lie required from the motors, npprt from the tyre tax already imposed and being accumulated, the necessity to find tho additional £150.000, from motors was not at all

favourably received, but toyvnnls the end of the conference there seemed to bo a feeling amongst the representatives of the motor interests that if they really had to find a sum of £300,000 they would make proposals as to how and whether this could he obtained without levying such a high license fee as was originally suggested in the draft Motqr .Registration Bill of last year. Jt was recognised by all parties that the necessity of, and the insistent demand for, better roads were brought about almost entirely by the rapid development of mechanical transport within the last few years; in other words, it is tho motor which requires improved roads, and the motor must contribute a consider,able proportion of the amount required to furnish betel roads.

CONTROL OF EXPENDITURE. As to the method of control of tins expenditure, it was originally proposed by representatives at tbe conference that there should be a board of members, with a chairman, but that this board should lie divided into two, one section administering the North Island and the other the South. This bonid was lather opposed by the Minister as being unneessnrily large, and as the conference went on feeling seemed to turn in the direction of having only one small board to control the whole of the work. The question of maintenance and reconstruction, and general improvement of main traffic roads, is one in regard to which there is a considerable tendency for the conflicting interests to differ as to the best means of achieving and financing the desired end.

The bringing together of these interests in conference has had the effect, to an extent hardly anticipated, of bringing them to a much greater degree of harmony, and tho conference generally was approached in n spirit of

give and take. No fixed resolutions were passed, except the confirmation of the fact that the existing roads were not good enough and that better roads should be provided, but it is the intention of the Minister to summarise the general sense or feeling of the conference, bar. monising the same as far as possible with his own ideas and the ability °f the Government to find additional wavs and means. The result will lie embodied in a memorandum to the Associations represented at the conference wherein the Minister will set out in a genera 1 way the lines on which he proposes to legislate.