ROAD BOARD CONFERENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 167, 17 July 1877, Page 2

ROAD BOARD CONFERENCE.

[Communicated]. \ TW. conference of Road Boards of the County of Waimea, who have been requested by the Administration to consider and make suggestions, npon the proposed amendments in the Highway Actaof the colony, met a 4 the Richmond Institute on Saturate/ at 10 a.in. The Chairman and Secretary of the County Council wera also present. by invitation. Mr W. White was voted to the chair, and opened the business with some appropriate remarks upon the necessity of amending the ■ present Actsi " •:• \. > A l.efcter wjaa read from the Secretary-, of j of thoiMotueka Road Board expressing regret ; at nofc being! able to attend the meeting oa, accoaafc of tjieir Board being appointed fe' : meet on that day. t\ ■• ■■ n • " Mr' D. Linilsay, the Secretary of the tfppe^ ' , Motaeka Ro4d Board, entered at some leßgfcfa. into the detail of the Rating and other AW and showed certain . difficulties he had encountered, ia working under them. He undertook to reduce his observations to writing, and to bring the sftme forward" in the shape of resolutions a& the next lneeging. * Mr Oliver deprecated putting top duck-, power in the hands of a central government", and would like to see an honest scheme of real.loca) self-goTernmaat passed bailie' As^ cembly. It was quite clear that the colony was drifting back again into a modified system of Provincialism, and ihewasiiglad t6 see iMpE he considered the old>' provincial form of government, that is, as he remembered it in operation ten years ago, much more to New Zealand than-thfa actual County and Road Boards scheme. The Road Boards were useful bodies, and had done, and would continue to do, good work in the way of road making, but it would be a mistake for them to leave their proper sphere, and develop" into petty political organisms, as they were too small and too' local in feeling and temper. They might levy a rate for maintaining all roads other than trunk lines, and keep up the main trunk roads traversing their respective'districts out of funds to be provided and voted by the County Council. Extraordinary pubhe works such as large and costly bridges should be erected out of Parliamentary, votes, for the colony having adopted the principle of State railways, it was only consistent to apply the same to the roads, which were indeed the real arteries of internal communication; and be3ide which the railway^ take only a secondary position. The County Council should consist of not less than twelve members, and the chairman to be elected by the whole County. He thought' the municipalities ought to be represented in the Council in proportion to their relative population, but no town to return more than four members. As town and country had really an equal interest in the .trunk roads, and the various local institutions, as besides the administration of the-main-lines of road, the Council might manage the hospitals and asylums, relief of the destitute poor, the goldfields, ferries, pounds, cemeteries, public libraries, etc. He had hurriedly mada these jottings, more as a starting point for discussion, than a'a being wedded to any particular point. :MrA. Harleysaidit was a good plan to levy a rate for the by-roads only, leaving the trunk Hfles 1 CO be maintained by the Government out of the public revenue. : ''- °'-' Mr Barnicoat thought that the functions of the Road Boards might be extended, and that they could conveniently administer local matters. All extraordinary public works, more especially the bridges, should be erected and maintained at the coat of the General Government. The Connties in England maintained the turnpike roads and bridges,;' but tha placid and gentle streams there, when a bridge once put up lasted for centuries, could not be compared with the impetuous torrents increasing to such bare width such as we had to contend" with in this colony. Mr Barnicoat then gave a very interesting account of the English County system, the mode of levying the rates, and conducting its 1 business. He said that our case here was quite different, as tjte General Gp i v l erpjn.ep& administered the gaols/ police, etc, worlc which belonged to the counties in the old country. He only wished to see the County Councils here acting as distributing bodies; as being free from local bias they: woald be likely to apportion the subsidies fairlyaniongstthe Highways Districts ia proportion to their several requirements. ' The chairman of the meeting (Mr White) then entered at some length -into the question, and ably criticised the proposed plans as well as the system under which they were working. On the motion of Mr Barnicoat, it was resolved that the members of the Assembly for the City of Nelson, as well aa those representing constituencies within the county, be invitqd to attend the nest meeting of this conference ; also, that the several Road Boards be requested to send deputations. After .a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting adjourned till Saturday. . the 28thinstaut. '. . , ■'■: