THE HIGHWAYS ACT.

Shannon News, 14 September 1923, Page 3

THE HIGHWAYS ACT.

COUNTIES MUST BE READY TO CARRY OUT RECOMMENDATIONS. STATEMENT AT RECENT CONFERENCE. At Saturday's meeting of the Horowhcnua County Council Mr. G. -v. Monk (chairman) reported:- — Acting under a resolution of this Council I attended the Counties Association Conference held at Wellington on August the Bth, 9th, and 10th. Over one hundred delegates were in attendance. Seeing that 163 remits were before the Conference for consideration, I do not propose to deal with them all in this report, most of them being only of interest to local body submitting same. There were, however, one or two subjects discussed which were of interest to most Counties and particularly to our own County. Hospital Legislation.

The first dealt with was hospital legislation, particularly with reference to the subsidy by the Government to the various Hospital Boards. At the present time subsidies are payable to Boards, ranging from 12s 3d in the pound (this amount is earned by the Palmerston North Board), up to, I understand, as high as 27s in the pound. During the conference a deputation waited upon the Prime Minister, with the result that legislation has now been placed on the Statute book, that will give a Board as ours, a much higher subsidy. Highways Act. The subject dealt with at the conference that was by far the most important —I now refer to the Highways Act —received very careful consideration by the special committee set up, who submitted the following report—such report, with the exception of Clause S, being unanimously endorsed by the conference:— '

“Your committee beg to report having met and considered the various remits that have bee.u referred to them, and they make the following recommendations:

(1) That, with a view to giving ‘‘The Highways Act" a trial, as far as the number of Boards is concerned, we feel that the present constitution of cnc Highways Board should be accepted (2) Your committee feet that as bylaws and regulations relating to heavy traffic and other traffic on roads, together with licensed fees, will have to bo considered by the Highways Board in respect to roads created main highways, your committee recommend that such regulations and bylaws be made on the recommendation of district Councils, and that the fees from licenses, etc., be devoted to the Counties within the group. (3) Your committee feel that the restriction relating to the number of members of the executive committee of the Highways Council be removed, so that the executive committee may be such as is recommended by the distriet Council.

(4) Your committee feel that it is desirable that the representation on the district Council should be.amended to have more regard to the size and valuation of the constituent Counties. •

(5) Re raising of loans: Your committee recommend the adoption of Rangitikei remit, No, 83, as follows: — ‘That “The Main Highways Act, 1922,“ be amended so as to provide that the Government shall raise the whole of the money required, and collect from the local bodies their share of the annual interest and sinking fund,’ with the following words add'ed, ‘provided such loans are raised in accordance with the provisions of “The Local Bodies Loans Act. , “

(6) In addition to the powers under Section 22, your committee feels that the Highways Board, on the recommendation of the district Councils, should have power to grant, in special circumstances, a greater proportion of the cost than is prescribed by sections 18 and 19 of the Act, or that such addition be made by grant from Public Works Fund.

(7) Your committee think an oversight has been made in not giving assistance to the town districts which are separated from Counties and have main highways traversing their districts. Wo recommend that provision be made for this omission.

(8) Your committee recommend that financial consideration be given to those Counties which have raised loans for tar-sealed roads, wli'ere such roads may be taken over as main highways. (9) Your committee feel that any increased revenue required for motor taxation should be obtained by an increased revenue from tyre tax, but feel that the question as to whether the tax should be on the value or on the size of the tyre is an expert question better left to the motor trades and the Customs Department. We feel, however, in view of difficulties which we understand exist in charging duties on tyros attached to motor cars, all Customs duties relating to motor vehicles, as well as tyres, should he credited to the Main Highways Fund. (10) Wo recommend that paragraph 2 of remit No. 84, from Grey County, be agreed to, as follows: ‘That the conference approves the constitution of district highways Councils, but for purposes of economy in several administratins of the Act, suggests that such Councils should be given wider powers aird duties in regard to road works in their respective highways districts, and in the delegation of such powers . and duties to the constituent County Councils. 1 We also recommend that paragraph 3' of the same remit be agreed to, as follows: —‘That in the opinion of the conference, the scheme of taxation required to conform with the income of the Main ■ Highways Board is beyond the resources of the local authorities unless excessive taxation is imposed on the ratepayers/ and to this we suggest the addition of the following words, ‘and we recommend that the same contribution be made for maintenance works as for construction or reconstruction works.’ (11) Your committee consider that remit 82, from Wairarapa South should bo deferred until experience shows the need of such action. (12) Re Vincent County remit, No. 84, your committee feel that as district Councils have power to recommend the roads to bo created main highways

within group areas, they do not consider the passing of this remit to be necessary. „ . (Signed) A. E. JULL, Chairman. In the earlier stages of the conference considerable opposition was shown by the South Island delegates to the Act, but after addresses by the Minister of Public Works, and our President, Mr. Jull, the general opinion was that the Highways Act should be given a trial. The chairman of the Highways Board, Mr. Furkert, attended the conference and in reply to a question addressed him by one of the delegates, stated that if a County was not prepared to go on with the work as recommended by the district Council; that local body would be passed over for those local bodies which were prepared, at all > events such would be the ease, in the earlier stages of the administration of the Act. This I submit was a most important statement, and seeing that we are carrying a very heavy burden in the shape of fast and heavy through motor traffic at the present time, and the situation of our County, justifying us in looking for early relief, I feel that we should take steps as will ensure that we are ready to proceed with this great work of putting a permanent surface on our mam roads,

so soon as the Highways Board gives us the necessary assistance and tfip power lo function. To do this, it maj be necessary to set up a special committee to go into the question of supplies of suitable metal, distribution ot same; also the advisability of ing somewhere central in the County j a site suitable for treating and distri-1 buting tar, restar, bitumen or what- I ever material may be used for the sealing of our roads. . - I had the pleasure, some little tunc] ago, of unofficially inspecting a very j fine plant in the Woodville County, and I respectfully make the suggestion that an inspection of this plant by our Councillors may be well worth while. In conclusion, I thank the Council for having sent me to the conference as your delegate, and would suggest that the County Clerk accompany our delegate to the next conference —I am sure it would be helpful in many ways to the Clerk, thereby a benefit to the County in general. — * G. ALES. MONK/' August 28th, 1923, . _