GOOD ROADS.

Shannon News, 14 August 1923, Page 4

GOOD ROADS.

A PRIME ESSENTIAL,

PREMIER AND COUNTIES DEPUTATION. TINDING THE MONEY. | WELLINGTON, Last Night. { A deputation from the Counties’ I Conference waited on the Prime Minister, Mr A. E. Jull was spokesman, and in his address he covered the main i decisions- arrived at- by the recent I gathering. j In replying, Mr Massey said he was j very glad to learn from the deputation that the conference had been a success. He had gathered from the press, and from members of Parliament who had attended th e proceedings, that very good work had been done. On this he congratulated the conference. Regarding legislation dealing with roads, ho said the matter of finance was a considerable item. However, one thing that had to be done in this country was to provide for motor traffic. It was all very well to talk about the effects of this on the railways, but New Zealand must have up-to-date means of transport and communication. If we did not have good roads, we would j fall behind other countries. He thougJi/ j the arterial roads should be attended to in the first place. He was glad to hear that the Conference had decided in favour of giving the new scheme a fair trial. There was the question of a loan, and he wanted to say that, as Prime Minister; he had various difficulties to meet. He was exercising great care in the matter of expenditure, for various reasons, among them the approaching end of the moratorium, arrangements respecting whicfi. were proceeding satisfactorily. He did not think there was going to be much trouble when th e end of that period was reached. From inquiries he had made of men in a position to speak with authority, he did not anticipate any trouble. Another thing for which money would have to bo found was the new advances scheme

Mr Jull: “Those proposals will amount* to only £300,000 a year.”

Mr Massey said the question was one Of the Highways Board getting money. If enough could be got* out of a tyre tax, well and good. Then there would be trouble if an attempt was made to get mohey out of motor cars. If money could be got out of mineral oils by way of drawback, as had been suggested, that might be satisfactory, but there would be certain people respecting whom there would be difficulties.

A deput’ationist: “Give them the drawback.”

Mr Massey said that while he was away in England, where he understood there was something of the sort in operation, ho would take the opportunity of looking into matters concerning the collection of such a tax.