LOCAL BODIES AND HIGHWAYS BOARD.

Shannon News, 16 April 1929, Page 3

LOCAL BODIES AND HIGHWAYS BOARD.

CONFERENCE WITH BOROUGH & COUNTY COUNCILS. CONSIDERATION OF VARIOUS REQUESTS PROMISED. Needs experienced both by the Levin Borough Council and the Horowhenua County Council "were brought to the notice of the Main Highways Board, when it made a short stay in Levin on Friday morning in the course of a tour which will take it as far as the Taianaki and Taumarunui districts. The conference took place in the Municipal Chambers, and was attended by representatives of both local bodies, the County Council being present in almost full force. The Board’s party consisted of Messrs C. J. McKenzie (acting-Chairman), C. J. Talbot, J. J. Gibson,/J. Wood, M. 11. Wynyard, A. Tyndalc (engineer), and W. A. Sutherland (secretary). absent were Mr F. W. Furkert (chairman) ami Mr A. E. dull.

BOROUGHS THAT HAVE MADE HIGHWAYS. LEVIN MAYOR ASICS FOR ANNUAL GRANT. The first business taken was the Borough Council’s request for a better distribution of the proceeds of the petrol tax. Having welcomed the Board, the Mayor (Mr T. Hobson) said that for some years the Council had been applying to the Board and the Minister •of* Public Works for assistance in regard to the Main Highways through the borough. In the past it had been contended that the permanent road surface had been laid down bv the Borough before the Highways Act came into force, but that was not so; the road as at present constituted was made after the Act came into operation. -Last vear the Borough had not received*anytliing for the jhaintenance fo the road, and now it was asking for a continuation of the maintenance money granted in ‘the two previous years'. The Council was notified last year that it would, only receive money on what was expended in the borough; but in that year it had no maintenance expenditure on the highway, and therefore got nothing. In the two previous years between £l5O and £l6O a year was obtained fivm the Board As the Board had seen its way to give that money for two years running, he considered it quite reasonable to expect that the Board would continue to pay that money, because the Council Jiad to pay interest and sinking fund bn the road, which was a main link in the highways scheme.. The Council •thought that the Board should be liable for the loan. If the smaller boroughs .that had made through roads could not get any money straight out, as they . ; had been asking, they thought it was only fair that they should come in with the bigger boroughs, which received a certain amount of money from the petrol tax; and they knew that they could spend that money on other roads besides the main links of the highways. They felt that they were on sound ground, therefore, in asking the Board to listen to their, case and give them some consideration. The Levin Borough Council had boon battling for a year on behalf of 13 other boroughs throughout the North Island which were in practically the same as this borough in the matter. They were progressive boroughs and had put down good roads, for which they could not now get any assistance. This Council haid written to the Board and had been writing to the Minister of Public Works, aud had interviewed the present , Minister. and his predecessor On both sides of the borough the Board was giving subsidies to the road'. The County Council had been fighting hard for its money, .and-the Board had gone ahead; he knew that the Board had plenty of '■money because- it was now paying a £3 subsidy in the county. The Borough Council had realised from the Board’s letters that it had to hurry with its expenditure so that the Board ■could pay out before the end of the financial year, but the Borough had made such a good job of its road that it had no work to go on with; nevertheless it lnd to pay interest, on the ■money-expended. The request was for £l5O to £l6O annually as the Council had received in the past. After intimating that apologies for absence had been received from Crs. Moi tensen and Roc, 'he Mayor invited Or. Goldsmith to speak. Cr. Goldsmith said that the small ’boroughs wcie at a great disadvantage, as compared with the larger boroughs, in regard to the proportion of the petrol tax allocated, and it wag evident, that an injustice was being done to boroughs like 'Levin. Hje 'presumed that the Board would put things riglu as soon as it could

LEGISLATION WOULD BE NEEDED Replying, Mr McKenzie said that the request for financial recompense for work done prior to the Highways •Board subsidising boroughs was an awkward question; it was a question as tp how far the Board should go in this matter, because in some cases boroughs had made paved roads 10 or 30 years ago, and if the Board considered such works- as, those, all its funds would go in back payments. The Board had a certain amount of sympathy for the boroughs situated as Levin was — which had done the work themselves and put down good roads —but at present the Board was legally not in a position to do anything in the matter. -Something might be done this coming year in rectifying some of this; but at present the Board could do nothing. Possibly the new Government might ■bring about a change. His Worship: The Minister is very

sympathetic*, but sympathy is not money.

Mr- Mi Kenzie: No; you want to turn it into cash. But you want to see' the balance-sheet that we have just got out. Our little res'■-egg is going' to be reduc '<) considerably. The .payments •for the last month amounted to £711,000, s<> il is going pretty rapidly. With the new £3 for £1 subsidies, and other highways, the fund,! are being mopped up pretty rapidly; aud it is rather a good job tliwe had that nest-egg in the first place.