The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1929. HIGHWAY FUNDS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1929. HIGHWAY FUNDS.

Tun newly elected member for Motnck'a, Mr 0. 0. Black, is approaching the (Jovornniont through the Prime -Minister, advocating a more liberal policy of distribution with regard to the Highway Board funds. The Board is in receipt of a very considerable sum of money. The assistance to local lxidies or districts is based in the main, on subsidies, though in many instances t he Board places the subsidies on a very generous scale. The Board has extended its subsides also from what are “main” to subsidiary or “secondary” loads, because it was found the in How ol revenue was greater than was expected. The petrol tax is the great contributing fact, r to the Board. It is based on the principle that the user pays, and is considered the fairest lax on tin' whole. There is the aspect, however, that users who are confined to bad or indifferent roads, are at a disadvantage in consumption compared to those who have first class roads to operate over. This is a disability brought about by the fart dial' the back-block or out of the way roads do no derive any benefit from the highways expenditure, though there is the suggestion that because the Board is as : sisting the local body with its main roads, it should have more free monev for its hack roads. Bui Ibis is ml always so in praelice; for the reason t hat: to bring the main r aids up- to the Highway Standard, and maintain them at Hull pitch, costs more to-dav than in pre-highwav da vs. so that the hac'roads are going short to some extent. Mr Black appears to he working mi Hi is aspect. He has been moved to

action by the following resolution of the Tnurniiga County Council: “That this council vic'.'-s with alami the everincreasing burden upon the ratepayers since the inception of motor trallic, more especially in the case of main roads so largely and continuously used v' the general travelling public. The Tauranga County Council considers tlmt the one and equitable method of coping with the problem of maintenance of main roads is per medium of tile petrol tux, or other direct levy on motor users, and that the Government be urged to pass legislation to effect tnis solution at the ear.iest opportunity.” -Mr l>lnok concurs with the resolution iu .so far as the burden of maintaining main roads- falis on two County Councils in this cli.st.ri-. t. In the course of a letter to the Prime .Minister, he says “it secni-i to me that it is net a matter of legislation being required to make the user of the road pay. It is time that a more liberal policy was adopted by the Main Highways Board, and subsidy all-cations abandoned. At page 187 of the Public Works Statement, 1928, in the ‘Fourth Annual Report of the Mil in Highways Hoard’ is to be found the following: ‘When the outstanding liability for sinking iund has also been provided for, it will lie seen that the not balances in each island actually in the board’s bands are as follows: North £-15.1)95, South Island £828,701. There nave been numerous references in the yPress during the past few months to Iho hoard’s accumulated revenue of approximately £1.GO!),000. AY lien the proceeds of the petrol tax to March B‘st. 1928, arc added to the above net balance it will be found that the sum m the hands of the board which had not been spent on roadwork at March 31st. amounted to under £709,C00, the greater part of which is to the credit ot tins South Island. There is also the sum of £800,090 which was temporarily transferred to the Treasury, part ol which Inis, according to the report been actually expended on construction, £181.905 in the North and £39,OJI in the South. The South Island funds in my opinion should be spent without delay for the purposes for which they were raised by taxation of the motorist. ’’ It has been a moat point with the- South Island motorises, that revenue derived from the district for highways, is not spent as freely as it should. But the Beard must revise its system to be more liberal. That means to a great extent a change in poiie.v. However, Mr Black has tom lied on a phase of the administration which will lead the Prime Minister to look into the whole situation, and as a consequence something may ho done to overhaul the system, whereby a percentage or some share of highways revenue will lie allocated to district roads ol general importance locally to settlers and'the ratepayers generally.