THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1907. GOVERNMENT ROADS POLICY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 42, 9 August 1907, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1907. GOVERNMENT ROADS POLICY.

The present session of Parliament has been remarkable for the number of deputations that have waited upon Ministers for the purpose of advancing claims of various districts in the matter of grants for public works. Small wonder that the authorities have, individually and collectively, sought refuge in the time-worn cry of " so much to do; so little to do it with." A feature in connection with the deputation craze, and one which can hardly have failed to impress the Ministers, was the fact that whatever was the subject of the deputation, a request for greater roading facilities was attached thereto, in some shape or form. The latest feature to demand attention is the request made by Mr Massey to the Premier, that the Government should take over all main roads in the colony. The proposition is not new, and a motion, on very similar lines, was proposed by the Chairman of the Waitomo County Council, at the recent Conference of County Councils at Wellington. It is gratifying to learn that the Premier and Acting-Minister for Public Works are both sympathetic with regard to the subject, and Sir Joseph Ward has definitely stated that the Government propose dealing with it in a manner which he hopes will meet the case. This is satisfactory, as far as it goes, but the trouble is that it does not go very far. There is a very real evil and a vague promise that something is to be done goes very little towards remedying the matter. The roads question has assumed gigantic proportions and requires a strong, statesmanlike policy, in order to meet the pressing requirements. That a matter of such widespread importance should be dependent upon the representations of deputations, and that grants should be doled out by the Government to the most importunate, in order to satisfy the persistency of certain districts, is more than unsatisfactory. It is unbusinesslike and shortsighted in the extreme. It is to such a system that we have to look for the explanation of the deputation craze, which has now almost reached the point of absurdity. If the system continues, there will be no need whatever for local representatives of the various departments. The Minister-in-charge will merely have to sit in Wellington and wait for deputations, and distribute the expenditure according to the strength of the case made out by the advocates from the various districts. An alternative would be the introduction of the ballot, the successful party to have first call on the available funds. However the time is ripe for definite action, and the institution of a roads policy on a national basis, appears to be the best solution of the difficulty. One of the chief difficulties to be overcome is, undoubtedly, the ignorance of the Southern representatives and town members as to the conditions under which the settlers in the back-blockr, have to exist. This was plainly evidenced at the recent banquet to the Members of Parliament, at Taumarunui. After seeing only the best-roaded portions of the district the members were unanimous in their advocacy of a greater expenditure in providing facilities for the settlers, and several spoke favourably of borrowing largely to carry the scheme into effect. The well-known amiable weakness of the Parliamentarian to say the polite thing may have

to some extent prompted the utterances, but incontrovertible arguments in favour of the project can be advanced. Moreover, there is a widespread and growing feeling on the part of town members in the direction of back-block development, and the policy only requires to be advocated boldly on its merits in order to secure general support.