THE ROADS QUESTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 504, 28 September 1912, Page 4

THE ROADS QUESTION.

ROADING CROWN LANDS

THE FINANCIAL ASPECT. The great roads question figured prominently at tho conference held at Te Kuiti on Wednesday. Speaking on the subject of roading Crown lands and tho manner in which the work had been carried out in the past by the Government. Mr Noonan said the association .should make the

strongest possible representations in the matter. Referring to roads in tho Marokopa district he. said when the lands were taken up twelve years ago roads were shown on the plana as being under construction. The natural assumption by tho settlers was that the roads would bo completed in

a comparatively short timo, particularly in view of the fact that the lands were loaded to meet the cost oC roading. Moreover, they were promised the roads would bo formed within two years. The roads were still under construction.

Mr Julian said ho agreed with the previous speaker. The distrctis which had suffered most from neglect to carry out promises for roads were Ohura and Mangaohae.

Mr McCutcheon said tho evil alluded to was one of administration and required remedying. It appeared to him there was little use pointing to the past. Unlesß money was actually appropriated by Parliament for a work the promise of a. Minister was of little use. Promises were fruitful sources of trouble, and when people acted on them without waiting for their tangible fulfilment they usually suffered. The speaker referred to instances which had occurred at Whan-

gamomona in respect to a promised subsidy. The dispute was still unsettled. He advocated a more definite system of assistance to local bodies in n«w districts. The system of going cap in hand for votes for curtain work should be stopped and a definite policy inaugurated. The speaker pointed out that local bodi°s were in a worse position than under the old system. Prior to 1892, the deferred payment system of land settlement was in vogue and local bodies received one third of the purchases money for road work. Under the present O.R.P. and L.I.P. system the local body receives only one third of the annual rental for a period of fifteen years. Furthermore a much more liberal scale of subsidies existed under the old conditions. There was going to bo great difficulty experienced it) financing by local bodies, and the backblock counties which had yet to provide elementary requirements were debarred from borrowing from the Government beyond a limit of £SOOO. The trouble arose from the fact that when tho Waro Government ([replaced tho old system of loans to local bodies by the system of State-Guaranteed Advances it removed the limit which had previ-

lously existed of £6OOO a year. Large local bodies took advantage of the opportunity to borrow huge amounts and the backblocka had to go without. The position was so serious that a remedy should be sought immediately. Ho thought that in view of the fact that the freehold tenure was to be obtained widely, and that a considerable amount of money would bo going into the public exchequer from the sale and conversion of lands, a third of the money so derived should go to the local bodies. They must have revenue. The present regulation as to the £SOOO borrowing limit was disastrous and would create a serious position in the backblocks. It was the duty of the conference not only to proclaim an evil but to suggest a remedy. The present was a highly favourable time for development. Prices or farm products were excellent, and it was desirable that facilities should be provided to enable all to take nrivimia™