BETTER ROADS SCHEME

Shannon News, 29 June 1928, Page 4

BETTER ROADS SCHEME

WORK IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

COMING YEAR'S PROGRAMME,

If there is one public body in Now South Wales which has been singularly free from criticism because of. its .excellent yet quiet work, it is the Main Roads Board, writes a correspondent-to an Auckland paper. There are still notoriously bad roads in the State, but, after all, Rome was not built in a day. Motorists are rejoicing in the .fact, .that during the next year, the board will have about £4,000,000 including Feeleral aid, with which to carry on its good work, although tloy tire ,at the same time, awaiting eagerly the advent of the promised designed to set up a broad national roads policy,!under which the local bo .lies will bo relieved completely of the financial burden imposed by the eo.n of remaking and keeping up the State.

When the original Main Roacfe Bill was before Parliament, it was estimated that during the first five years an average of £2,000,000 a year, excluding Federal aid, would be available to tjbie board. That amount, is now bein.g doubled, ior at least one year. It.'feill become even larger in later years, in proportion to the increase in the proceeds from motor taxation,Which during the present financial year will total about £1,500,000, or about £2,000,000, including both State and Federal taxation.

That the road users have no direct voice on the board, in face of this burden seems anomalous and inequitable. Possibly the Government's argument is that their interests are safeguarded by their representatives in Parliament. It is a specious argument in sueh event, since neither Parliament nor the .Minister is able, in practice, to govern the detailed Operations of any board.

The National Roads and Motorists' i Association seems to have ..a fair claim for a more direct voice in the Government's road.policy, in view of the repi resentative character of its personnel. If some struggling companies could ornament their directorates with some of •> the gentlemen associated with the association, they would be in the seventh ; heaven of happiness. Among the,association's members are ~ the young Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, who is now on the northern rivers of New South Wales, picturesque William Morris Hughes—whom fSydney political gossip is coupling with .the, vacant portfolio of Minister of Tradejand: Customs, assuming that the. Government , lias the courage to ask him to come.-in* Ito the Ministerial fold—the Primate of Australia, Archbishop Wright, Archbishop Kelly, and, among other distinguished high ecclesiastics, Bishop : Long, Sir Hugh Poynter, Bart., Sir. '! Thomas Henley, who is noted principally for saying in public precisely- what he, thinks, the Chief Justice, Sir Philip : Street, and other members of the 'judj- : ciary, knights galore, including the president of the Automobile club, Sir ■ Samuel Hordern, and a host of others of some circumstance and tonnage, in the eJU'.