MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1925, Page 4

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

BOARD’S POLICY EXPLAINED. ' -NO DEMAND FOR SEPARATE BOARDS. CHRISTCHURCH. July 31. “The conference was very satisfae lory and will have the ofteet of eo-ordi natiug the work of the Main Highway.' Board throughout both Islands." Mi •I. I). Bruce, South Island member ol the Hoard told a representative of "The Press" yesterday morning. Mr Bruce was referring to the ' (inference. held in Wellington on Tuesday between members of the Board and the executives of tile tl.ilferc.iit councils were now in possession of the general aims ol (be Board and ol its method of working ENGINEER'S ADDRESS. The address given by the Board’s engineer, Mr A. Tyndall, on mail economies, road Niainleiiance. and the different methods of renewing roads, and of constructing new ones, was followed with elo.se attention and was ot much value as it gave an outline of the Board's policy and had the effect el removing many wrong impressions in connexion with that policy. For instance, most of the counties considered that the Board was out for nothing lull high-class expensive roads. Mr Tyndall said that the Board's policy was one that had in view a building-up and improvement process in respect of existing main highways. ’lbis was the policy that the Board ini, pursuing. Instead of asking lor roads costing more than the people of a ilisiliet could afford, they asked them to use the existing roads and build them up to a higher standard gradually by adopting bet ter maintenance methods The opinion very generally expressed by the members if the District Highway Councils who beard Mr Tyndall' address, was one of relief to find that they were not to he called upon to lay down roads costing £!*.' '0:1 per mile

and upward-. The Hoard's policy a- oilLl im.*'l liv Mr Tyndall, commented .Mr Bruce, did not, til' course .apply to the more closely settled districts where 'a better class of road was necessary, and where roads callable of dealing with a traffic of ICO!) cars a day had to lie provided ; the policy outlined by Mr Tyndall applied to road sealled upon to carry a traffic of op to dOO cars a dav. .A M EXI).M EXTK TO ACT.

The {treater portion of i lie time of the conference. Mr Bruce added, bad been devoted to the consideration of the fairly extensive proposed amendments to the Act drawn tip by the Board, the majority of which the conference concurred with and approved. There was, as far as .Mr Bruce could gather, more than a possibility that the. maintenance subsidy would he increased for two or three years at least, from the present one-third to one-half. The tpieslion of separate hoards for each island had not boon raised at all. the delegates apparently considering that their establishment would only increase the cost of administration without any compensating increase in efficiency.

“Personally. I am more than pleased with the result of the conterence.” Mr Bruce said in concluding. “It has brought representatives ot the District Councils in closer touch with members of the Board. They know now what we are doing and aiming at. and don't think that we are as black as we have been painted.”