The Hokitika Guardian THURSDY, JAN 11th. 1923. A HEAVY BURDEN.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 January 1923, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian THURSDY, JAN 11th. 1923. A HEAVY BURDEN.

From the reports presented to the Westland County Council : t Tuesday’s -meeting. it would appear that the County ratepayers are having a I envy burden passed on to them by the request front the Public Works Department to take over the maintenance of the main road from Kuiaarn Junction via Kuntara and Kanieri to Ross, after the 31st March. There is in all a stretch of about- 45 miles. The Council's officers reported that about J 52.500 were required far the

Eon ot Ilu- road into .suitable order I~i the traffic. and another £d,ooo hi Ir idee repairs to render the structures -.'le fc ■ tralli' 1 . A u immediate liability of £(50(10 has to be faced by the I C,,i:nei!. Thi- is not fair to the ntepayevs, who iii the ordinal'., rnur.-e will have to find ihe money to keep i the roads open for trallie. Some two or three decades ago. the Goi eminent iotik the road over from tlm Council because the local body was not ill a position with local revenue to adequately maintain the mads. The local body is less able to do so now seciuy that the traffic lias considerable nereased and llm class of trade is more destructive to the road-. purlr'er. While tin's propositi-' to add to the IGnhilitios nt the Council by pi 'cine this burden on the lord laid,, the Government at the same tune is taking thousand- el pounds of revenue from the Council by -‘collaring' ihe revenue which hei’ctolore accrued I rein timber loyalties lor the benefit ol lie- local body. If the Government •were fail in the matter, the l’ublic Works lie partmeni should do at least two, if not I'wee. tliinys in the matter, be lore si iddliug the local body with a bur don it will have the Looniest difficulty In carrying. First of all the Department should not seek to hand over the roads and bridges to tin* Council until tin* road and t lie bridges arc in fair 'order. Tn the second |".l !| ee. the Do ' partment should indicia* that as the ’ roads have to carry traffic from all 1 parts of the Dominion, and are public highways for vehicles from outside tli - County, there should lac a Government subsidy in cope with the extra traffic i so involved, a practice which the De | partment follows with other meal laid i ics .similarly placed. .toil in ice third ! place it is for tin- Government to re- | cogni-e the road as essential'y a ]io’ lie highway, and there s oulil be spe cial provision for Woslla .d roads fre tli,- tyre duty toe Governmeut is now collci line through the - slonis. as nucleus fund for the maintenance of the highways of the D* ni.non. Due of tile speakers at ,i rcc.-.:i meeting .u ihe County i 'liamb 'i's n-narked lha iyu-s did not ‘‘wear mu" in Wt-stlincl *- was the experience in other dislriclhere they were '‘cut out." Consequently more ivres were used up. and the disiiict was equitably entitled d> a large quoia of the customs revenue accruin'' from ihe import of motor tyres. Those who have occasion to pass over the main roads of Inc. realise bow miidi they have fallen into disrepair. Unfortunately this criticism docs not apply only to the section to he passed on to the County Council. Imt also to the road beyond lin=-. Tile Public Works Department has not maintained the loads in the past as they should have done. Despite the increased volume of traffic, the old primative means of shovel and wheelbarrow are still in use. and these moans arc not adequate for requirements. Uondmaking machinery is necessary to do tin* work usefully and economically otherwise there is a good deal of wasted costly effort, for the road laid down or prepared by primitive means, will not carry modern traffic. The whole question of main roads maintenance in Westland is in need of radical revision and it is in that direction the Government. should act, rather than seeking to divest itself of responsibilities it lacks the initiative to offeetvely discharge.