The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21st, 1925 VALUE IN GOOD ROADS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21st, 1925 VALUE IN GOOD ROADS.

A Wki.i.inoton paper lately addressed a note to six County Councils in Taranaki province asking if good roads paid. In Taranaki bitumen surfaced roads have been made over many miles, and itlie enquiry was made to ascertain what was the economic result. One Council replied that it had over 70 miles, out of 81 miles in the County, surfaced. This had lieeu done during a period of ten years without any increase in the rates, and the day was not far distant now when the rates would be reduced, 'as shortly the whole of the roads would be under tar. The Council proceeded under a progressive scheme, doing a. little year by year. The first year four miles of road wore treated, and each year the Council puts

down more with prepared tar or bitumen. It may lie assumed from this that the local body is satisfied with this, a fact which is borne out bv some figures which are quoted, t'uder the old system, the local body found 4 bat it cost on an average about .{.'200 tier mile to maintain the roads, and even with that expenditure there was not a decent road to travel over. The s:inie road now costs less than £()0 nor miTo per year to maintain. There is a substantial saving in maintenance and the settlers have better roads to travel over, which is a saving to the individual. It is a fact also that in a district served with good roads, better prices will prevail for adjacent farm lands. It is stated that farms abutting tarred roads will sell more readily than any other farms. The roads in question were prepared by the penetrating system with either distilled trior bitumen. The roads carry considorabo heavy traffic, as the railway line is some nine miles distant from the centre. A number of large motor lorries arc on the roads every day, and the traffic- is handled better now than it was eight or ten years ago. This exampel of good roads emphasises their value all round. It is not the local body only which is concerned primarily in the roads, hut also the ratepayers and the users generally. The use of roads is an increasing quantity now that motor traffic affords so much celerity. And as motor traction -omes more into competition with the railways. it will lie necessa'7 to provide for heavier traffic imposing more wear and tear in the matter of upkeep. Roads must be better surfaced if they are to carry the traffic and he maintained at a cost within reason. Tt is not fair of course that the liability for all this should fall upon the ratepayers. but it is palpable that the ratepayers must hear the initial cost, and in a measure, the responsibility for the whole. Tt is wise, therefore, to adopt a policy which will give a ’letter road under reasonabe conditions, and he able to carry on progressive works and maintenance without adding unduly to the burden of the ratepayers. The North Island County to which reference lias been made above, seems to have solved the problem on very reasonable lines, tie take it that the local body lias lteeu well adt ised lit its engineer, and has proceeded along a well-defined plan. Other local bodies might well follow suit. There should be no difficulty in procuring particulars of plant and details of the system followed. Here, where tar is so cheap and other material for grading and levelling so handy, road improvement on a well defined plan shotild be possible at a far

cheaper rate than obtains in the North Island. Seeing that attention to the. roads is so important from every -joint of vie"', it is to lie hoped the time is not far distant when in both the town and country, lengths of roads will be taken in hand to demonstrate the advantage of good roads to the community as a whole.