THE HIGHWAYS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1932, Page 6

THE HIGHWAYS

CURTAILMENT OF EXPENDITURE DETER IOR ATION ■ ALLEGED. CHRISTCHURCH, September 20. That the highways of the Dominion were deteriorating at the estimated rate of £200,000. a year was a statement, made in Auckland recently ; by Mr M. H. Wynyard, motorists’ .representative on the Main Highways Board. That, a great deal of cleteriora" tion is setting in, as a, result of the Government’s policy m appropriating, the,Highways Board’s funds and in limiting expenditure on road maintenance, is also the opinion of Mr F. W. Freeman, chairman of the Roads Committee of the Canterbury Automobile Association. He said yesterday that the curtailment of expenses on the country’s roads would entan much heavier expense later on.

In the highways return of 1930, said Mr Freeman, over £1,000,000 was included in .the estimates for road maintenance. In the 1931 return this had shrunk to £872,000. To-day the position was even more serious. The Government had confiscated, the whole of the Highways Board’s Funds and revenue and had promised to leave sufficient for maintenance. This sum bad been estimated by the Board’s engineer at, £700,000 as the. absolute minimum. The Government had reduced this sum to £650,000, and it was very doubtful if. this was being entirely spent on the roads.

BENEFITS OF HIGHWAYS ACT Tire Main. Highways Act had relieved the County Councils from .the crushing financial situation in . which, they were wallowing in 1922, when the roads -in. the Dominion -were going to '•pieces; Organised motordom had 'since : been striving to preserve the principles and purposes of the Act, and motor taxes had been collected and earmarked for. highway maintenance, for the benefit of motorist and ratepayer The position had now arisen, however, in which the roads were not having nearly enough spent on them. It was clearly a case of a stitch in time sav-' ing nine, ahd the roads' of the country should not be allowed to deteriorate: with the prosects of added expense in the future.

“DOUBLE BURDEN ON POSTERITY.”

“The present policy will lay a doub’e burden on posterity,’’ said Mr Freeman. “The roads are certainly going hack, and our transport,. facilities are consequently ’being reduced. The primary producer is suffering as well as the motorist. The Government will be faced with the task of having to reconstruct th e highway's, and their policy of ‘ponny wise, pound foolish’ will soon ,]and the country in heavy expenditure. The law of diminishing returns will set in and w e will be faced with the restitution of our valuable road assets. The Government will lose 'heavily for the sake of a temporary gain to the Budget.”. All the County Councils were complaining about the position, continued Mr, Freeman. They were .finding it very difficult to keep up an. adequate maintenance of the roads under their control because they were .refused sufficient funds. Among many other roads tl- p Burwood road -Was going back. It had been staled sonic time ago, and no" it required sealing again. Sh'ng’e was insufficient t° cover the pot-holes effectively. All over the country the County. Councils were placed under a great •strain in their attempts to keep the roads up to standard with inadequate funds. The position was made . worse when it was considered that road traific. ifas increasing continually.