MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2500, 31 October 1922, Page 3

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

■ COUNCIL A AMENDMENTS. The Main Highways Bill was passed by the Legislative Council on Saturday. The Statutes Revision Commit lee recommend the striking out of sub-clause (2) of clause 21 and clause 22, which enabled the board to reduce its contributions to the cost of maintenance of roads if insufficient funds wore available. Speaking on the second reading of the Bill, the Hon. J. B. Bow remarked that a measure of this kind had been looked forward to for some time. The Bill was merely a skeleton measure. The main scheme could he perfected later. _ The users of motor-cars were quite willing that some form of taxation should he imposed upon the ears, and a tyre-tax was regarded as the most equitable method of contributing to the upkeep of the roads, The present Bill embodied a new principle, and that was (lie grouping of counties. The speaker commented on the growth of motor traffic, and its effect on our railway system. In Committee, clause 5, subelause (e) was amended to enable (lie Minister to appoint two members to the hoard to represent county councils. The Statutes Revision Committee’s proposals were also adopted, end the Bill was passed. The House" of Representatives, when the Bill was returned tos it, decided to disagree. with (lie proposal to appoint two county council representatives to the hoard.