NEED FOR CAUTION.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 278, 7 March 1929, Page 4

NEED FOR CAUTION.

SINCE our recent leading article upon “ Control of Highways,” appeared, attention has been arrested by a rather striking article which appeared in an Auckland daily, under the nom-de-plume of “ Spotlight.” The author’s main contentions / are that in a true system of primary highways there would be no main thoroughfares apart from those bearing the major portion of the through traffic. Many of the roads now classified as “ main ” would be delisted, and the motor taxation spent upon the mains only. An annual expenditure of £500,000, he contends, would be ample for maintenance of a proper primary system, and therefore there is no need to tax motorists for the additional £750,000 out of the £1,250,000 collected by way of motor taxation, except that the writer would allow another £200,000 for the secondary roads. “ Spotlight ” thinks the district highways councils should take the place of county councils for main highways purposes. From one source and another there is a gathering volume of evidence that the agitation by local bodies for heavier taxation of the: motorist is causing motorists ta delve inf* tie question—with results not favourable to the ratepayer, whose milk or cream lorry needs good roads, tao. Motoring organisations want the control of highways to be taken out of the hands of" local bodies, which fact of itself should indicate to councils representing rural ratepayers the unwisdom of hastily approving of the first circular in favour of nationalisation that is sent around.