MAIN ROAD QUESTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 645, 21 February 1914, Page 7

MAIN ROAD QUESTION.

AN AUCKLAND CONFERENCE. A conference of local bodies interested in the maintenance of the Great South road between Auckland and the Waikato was held in the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday afternoon, the Mayor, Mr C. J. Parr, presiding. The conference was convened by the Mayor owing to the bad state of repair into which Auckland's main artery of traffic to the south fa»s fallen, and to devise some satisfactory method of putting it right, and undertaking beyond the limited means of the local bodies at present responsible for its upkeep. The sope of the conference has also been extended to include the Great North Road, and representatives of the Waitemata County Council, Point Chevalier Road Board and Avondale, New Lynn, and Helensville Town Boards were also invited to be present. Delegates were also present from the Auckland City Council, Grey Lynn, Mt. Albert, Newmarket, Otahuhu, Hamilton, and Pukekohe Borough Councils, Manukau, Frantslin, Waipa, and Raglan County Councils, Ellerslie and Papakura Town Boards, and Remuera, One-tree Hill, Mt. Wellington, East Tamaki, Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Drury, Opaheke, Paparata. Pukekohe East, MBUngatawhiri, Pokeno, Mercer, Whangamarino, Huntly, Kirikiriroa and Newcastle Road Boards. THE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL. Mr Parr, in opening the proceedings, declared the present system of mainttnning the main traffic roads was worse than useless. At present over twenty I ..col bodies were concerned in the upkeep of the Great South Road between Auckland and Hamilton. The road was a disgrace to the Dominion, although it was one of the most important arteries of traffic. No one, he said, was particularly to blame —it was simply the result of a system of "go aB you please." Certainly it was quite impossible for the local bodies along the line of route to maintain the road, as the districts were in many places sparselv populated, and the total road income small. They had done the very best thing they could under adverse circumstances. TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTY "With the advent of motors and motor waggons, this main trunk road is being very largely ÜBed," went on the Mayor, "and motor traffic, both for'cargo and passengers will certainly increase greatly in the years to come. At the suggestion, therefore, of various local bodies, I have summo ed this conference for the purpose of considering, and, if possible, devising some -fcheme with the object of scecuring the proper formation of the road and its subsequent adequate maintenance. There are two or three general propositions which might be laid down. First, that the present system of divided control of the Great South road should be abolished. Secondly, that either the general Government or one authority to be created by statute should take control of the main arterial roads in the province. Thirdly, that the Government should find at least half the cost of formation and maintenance, the other half being paid by local authorities, motorists, and other users of the road. A LIKELY SOLUTION. "Personally," said Mr Parr, "I am strongly in favour of the Government taking over the whole control of these road?, as is done in other countries. But once we claim that, the people of the South Island and in other provinces would demand the same thing. It would be a big contract for the Government to take over all the main roads of New Zealand. As a matter of fact, districts outside the province of Auckland, which already have excellent roads, would probably object to be taxed for the upkeep of main arteries in other provinces, and would prefer to retain the present system. There would, consequently, be almost of a certainty a good deal of outside objectioon to any proposal that the Government should assume general control of the main thoroughfares of New Zealand, and probably such a proposal would be blocked in the House of Represents tives. Still, it is absolutely necessary, in the interests of both city and country that some scheme should be evolved, a"d I think the solution of the difficulty would be found in the Government finding half the money, and creating a board of main road Commissioners for administrative purposes." PROPOSED BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. Mr Sturges said that the Great South road required forming, straightening, grading, and metalling. The Government and the local bodies interested should take the matter in hand. He did not think that the Government would e~er take over the whole of the arterial main roads in the Dominion. He moved: —1. That a board of commissioners be formed; 2, that the local bodies interested be represented on the board; 3, that an engineer independent of the Government be appointed to carry out the whole of the work; 4, that the Government be urged to provide the whole of loan money, and that interest and principal shuuld not exceed 2£ per cent.; 5, that the length of road to be dealt with be about 80 miles." He estimated roughly that the work would not exceed £200,000, basing it on a caclulation of £2500 per mile. To provide interest and principal at the rate of 2\ per cent, on a capital outlay of £200,000 would require £SOOO a year, and this would be met by a rate of l-15th of a penny in the £. A property worth £IOOO would have to pay only 5s 6d per year. Mr cjoyla seconded Mr Sturges' motion, which, he said, was a very reasonable one. He, however, said that the cases of those suburban local bodies which had been, and

wer6 now, expending large sums of | money would have to be taken into consideration. STATE CONTROL URGED. Mr Manning suggested that the question of finance should be left to a committee to deal with. He moved as an amendment, "That this conference affirms the principle that the Government should take over the control arid upkeep of all main arterial roads." He said that with the advent of the motor-car the local bodies were no longer able to face the task of keeping the roads in order. It was unfair to ask small road boards to undertake the upkeep of these roads. Capt. Colbeck said that if the Government took over the control of the main roads experts would be employed to carry out the work. Mr Hall Skelton, who supported the amendment, spoke on behalf of the North of Auckland. These districts, he said, had contributed a great deal of to the national wealth, but very little had been speiit on their roads. Messrs Motion, Dye. Forrest, and McLeod supported the amendment. COMMITTEE APPOINTED After some further discussion Mr Sturges, at the chairman's suggestion, withdrew his motion in ravour of the amendment, which was then carried unanimously. It was agreed that it wou'd be advisable to defer the questions of details such as were raised in Mr Sturges' motion, until the Government's attitude was known. After a discussion regarding the question of a wheel tax on motor cars it was decided to set up a committee to place the views of thb conference before the Prime Minister arid the Minister for Public Works. The selection of the committee was left to the chairman, who subsequently appointed the following:—The Mayors of Auckland, Otahuhu and Hamilton, the chairman of the Waitemata, Manukau, Franklin and Waipa County Councils, and the chairman of the Papatoetoe Road Board. It was stated that the Prime Minister would probably be approached on the question on the occasion of his next visit to Auckland early next j month.