THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1921. MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4369, 23 January 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1921. MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS.

Ranking of first importance m the matters to be brought before the forthcoming Parliamentary delegation is the question* of the. declaration of main arterial.roads in, the Hauraki Plains and Thames Valley districts. The position now is that main roads in adjacent districts will in all ‘likelihood be declared as coming under the proposed new legislation in the) near future. A tyre tax will be cpllected on all motor vehicles, including those of this and other districts where no main arterial roads may be declared under the Government ■scheme for some years hence. 'Should this position arise, Hauraki Plains and Thames Valley will be virtually paying towards-, the construction' -and upkeep of roads throughout the North and (South Islands and receiving nothing in return. The question of whether or not the tyre tax should go to the Government or to local bodies for expenditure was discussed in an informal way. at the last meeting of. the committee of the Hauraki Plains and Thqmes Valley Parliamentary delegation at Paeroa, but it would be very foolish to make any official representations on this highly controversial aspect of the scheme. Outside of the members of local bodies, people generally are of the opinion that the Government should have the expending of the tax for the" construction and maintenance of the roads, especially as the Government could hire what machinery it required from the local bodies; this view is certainly held by the people who will pay the tax —the motorists. Furthermore, Cabinet has fixed its policy, and if representations were made to the Minister of Public Works that he should hand ever the money to a medley of local bodies he would not be inclined to view favourably the proposal that main arterial roads should be declared in this district right away instead of waiting for a period of years. The main point is that such roads should be defined first, and .then recommended to Ihc Parliamentarians for

inclusion in th scheme; all requests beyond this would be prejudicial- to the main object. In respect to what roads should be included, there are various choices —Morrinsville, Waitakaruru, Auckland; Paeroa-Poker.o railway route; Hamilton, Morrinsville, Te Aroha, Paeroa, Thames, Coromandel. Presumably each district will be at liberty to recommend its choice, always bearing in mind that, the principal thing is that some main road or roads through the whole district shall be brought into the first schedule of the Government’s main arterial reading scheme.