The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. TUESDAY. JUNE 8, 1920. THE MAIN ROADS' PROBLEM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 538, 8 June 1920, Page 2

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. TUESDAY. JUNE 8, 1920. THE MAIN ROADS' PROBLEM.

That the main roads of this province are in a deplorable state is a truism that is universally admitted, and that many districts that depend upon them as an outlet for their produce are badly handicapped in consequence, no one will be likely to deny. Whosever fault it may be—and where the blame lies, it would not be profitable to enquire—the fact remains that our roads are probably the worst in New Zealand, and if we are wise we will, as soon as possible, set about remedying their defects.

The appointment of a commission to consider the best way of doing this appears to us to be a step n, the right direction. We shall be told, no doubt, that when the Government desires to shelve a -luestion that is becoming troublesome it appoints a commission, and the publication of its report is the last that is heard of the matter. We reluctantly admit that the people who speak in this way have numberless examples in the results of past commissions to excuse them for their belief, but let us trust that this commission will be an exception to the general lule, and that it really will prove to be an initial step towards the desired goal of good roads. With the personnel of the commission we have every reason to be satisfied. In Mr. Ashley Hunter, C.E., we have an engineer of wide reputation and long experience, and in the chairmen of the Franklin and Manu kau Counties %ve have practical men, who are fully conversant with roadmaking matters. We iiave not yet seen the order of reference, and therefore are not fully aware of the scope of the inquiry, but we have no doubt the main questions will be of what materials the road is to be made, and how the cost of construction is to be met. It is to the lattei that we propr.se to draw attention to-day.

There is a common idea among the unthinking that alt the cost of road-making and a number of other things—ought to be put "upon the land." If they would stop to think for a moment, and then speak candidly, they would say " upon the farmer/' .since it is evident that rural land of itself never does and never can pay rates. It is only the labour of the farmer applied to the land that enables him to pay rates and taxes, which are thus the most direct impost upon manual labour that cm be conceived of, and which would never, in their present incidence, he submitted to for a moment if the farmers were one-half so ably led or so well organized as the labour uni o,is. It is only because of their lack o! combination arcl iheii consequent lack of weight in public affairs that they submit to paying for practically the whole cost of the community's loads, and a vast deal more than their share for hospital and charitable aid relief. We do not know whether forcing from them a further heavy contribution for the making and maintenance of a main road from Helensville to Hamilton would drive them together to make a vigorous and spirited protest, but >f the Government forces them into this attitude it vvi'l be treating them with gi'oss unfairness and injustice. Foi it is certain that roads generally, and the main road.-, in particular, are often more used by the outside publice than by the ratepayers who nave to pay for them. We doubt whetlici more than one in three of the owners of motor-cars who use our main roads contrioutes to the cost of construction and maintenance, and yet ears are admittedly the most destructive vehicles' we have on our roads. That they should have been so long allowed to escape taxation for road-making is an ar-wialy we cannot pretend to understand, but this immunity can scarcely be mdetinitely extended if our legislators still retain any sense of right/ and wrung. The institution of toll-gates would he the faVest way of making earowners pay in proportion Ho the ev t<mt to which they used the roads, but if thes? hindrances to travelling are unsatisfactory a heavy import dfty on rubber tires would be the ndfct fairest expedient.

Tf the whole cost of making and maintaining the made roads is to bo thrown upon the local bodies, or, to put it quite explicitly, the labour of the farmers, they are not likely to be greatly improved. In view of the use made of them bv the general public, it is not too much to expect that the whole cost should come out of the consolidated revenue, fortified by a reasonable impost upon car owners, so arranged as to press as fairly us possible upon them in proportion to the use they make of the roads. As far as we know this is the only country in the Empire, probably the only civilized country in the world, where motor-cars escape paying a fair share of taxation.