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Hokitika Guardian, 14 September 1922, Page 2

Thk question of road traffic had the ! serious attention of the County Conn- j ed on Tuesday alone practicable lines. I Jt was resolved by the members that the lorry traffic lias come to stay, and , it has to be catered for. Improvement of roads and bridges to carry the 1 traffic are essential. The Council'con- ' templates improving its road-making plant by the addition of a road roller . and a portable stone crushing plant. ! It is to bo regretted that when proposals along those lines were submitted to the ratepayers some eighteen months ago. the loan was not adopted. Had it been, the plant would have been in operation for the past year, which would have meant a very large/ saving now. The roads are probably worse than when the proposals were first put- forward, so that in addition to the loss of valuable time, a large has to ho provided for. To enable the Council to grapple with the difficulty it is proposed to tax motor lorry and motor ear traffic. The point was made that this traffic is responsible for 'the main expense winch now has to be faced, yet the upkeep of the roads has hitherto fallen directly on the ratepayers. The Council has certainly been indulgent in carrying on for .so long without seeking for revenue from the motor car owners. A voluntary form of taxation in regard to motor lorry traffic lias been in vogue for some time ,but it was indicated this was not altogether satisfactory, and a legal annual charge is lioiw to he enforced by way of a by-law. The outline, of the proposed by-law was indicated at the recent meeting of the County Council, and the full details are to he before the Council at its next meeting. The process of adoption will then be taken in hand, and presum- J ably the: new order of affairs will he brought into force about the commencement of next year. It will take at least about three months to enact the by-law, so that in tile interim those concerned have the opportunity of studying the position and making any representations considered necessary in respect to the conditions which it is intended to enforre. j

Tin: intention to provide wavs and means to place the roads in an improved condition will ho generally approved. The County roads prior to the advent of the lorry traffic, were invariably in very fair order, and were rather generally praised. The heavy speedy traffic, however lias played havoc with some of the roads, none of which were built for tho special class of traffic now coming into vogue. To hold the roads for the traffic those advising the Council point out tlh'alt broken metal is indispensible. The ordinary pit gravel is proving quite unfit for the purpose. The only other class of material at all equal to the traffic is the river bed gravel, but that is not obtainable always. In the circumstances therefore the Council is compelled to provide means to secure large supplies of broken metal and this it is proposed should be obtained by a portable stone crushing plant. Many of those plants are in operation in other places, and are said to be most satisfactory. Usually they arei potrol driven. In some cases they :.nre steam driven. Now that theCouncil has its own lorry, the plantwill be capable of ready transport from district to district, where it can be worked to advantage, and as supplies of metal are accumulated, the tipping motor lorry can deliver the metal on tho roads over a considerable radius. Tills arrangement once it is in operation will be most advantage, oua to the Council, and will he a money saying proposition, The right

class of material will go on to the roads, and ’the work will bo done quickly. Machinery has come into vo, rue everywhere ndw where roads arc used for heavy traffic, as the only means to oepe economically with the task of upkeep. About this district there is at various points a good class of material for road making, and with a road making plant, fully organised, there is no reason why the return of good roads should not be brought about in n comparatively quick time. And it is essential to do so. With the influx of traffic shortly expected, it is highly necessary to (have the roads in good order, and there is room certainly for a very great improvement. The Council appears to have taken a step m the right direction—the only step in fact if good roads are' again to be n tinguishing characteristic of tv.estland County.