The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1913. ROADS CONGRESS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 81, 9 August 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLE R. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1913. ROADS CONGRESS.

The International Congress to discuss roads and road-making opened in London at the end of Juno was a notable J gathering. Not a single civilised' community in all the world hut had

its delegate or representative present, and no less than thirty-nine Governments wore represented officially, in his speech at the opening of the Con-gi-ess, Mr Lloyd George dwelt on the great importance the road problem has attained in modern civilisation. At the end of the 18th century there was hardly a road in the modern sense of the term throughout the whole of the I nited Kingdom. Even in summer it took two whole days to get from l London to Birmingham, and in umt"i- it took three or foie- davs. Now tin re are in England no less limn 231,000 miles of about the best roads in the civili eJ .vor Id. | Or course the advent of 1 be )■■ otf> lias in recent years, brought the questi ei o f good roads into a ic om n-nice • ! it h.w never before occupi >d. Mr Lloyd George told what 'ml happened in i(" pret of even one secon ! ry ;,i teriid read out of London. 'Mveitv

}[• twenty-five years ago, he said, they ivoukl probably have found a few light vehicles, and perhaps one or two

heavy carts. Ten years ago they x would have* found perhaps a long : stream of bicycles. Statistics of the traffic on that road were taken on a. recent Sunday morning. in a. single ‘ hour, a hundred bicycles passed, fifty motor cycles, fifty motor omnibuses, ■ three hundred motor ears, and fifteen horse-drawn vehicles. There are at | the present time in Great Britain and Ireland alone 220,000 motor vehicles, hut this is probably only one-third of the number in the Tinted States ol America. The result is that roadmaking has become once more an important social, economic, and financial question for the consideration of the countrv. The last-named consideiation that of finance —was dealt with by Sir George Gibb, the President of .the Congress, who said that the general trend of opinion was undoubtedly in the direction of State management of all important roads in which] there might bo said to be a predomi-j natingly national interest. Though there has hitherto been no experience of State-managed roads in Great Britain, even if highway administration continues a function of local Government, there is little doubt but that the State will be askejd to make larger grants in aid of the maintenance of roads of national importance. Road maintenance is undoubtedly a big question in New Zealand, and the bogey of cost sits at every County Council table in the land. When full reports of the Congress’ discussion and resolutions come to hand something helpful in this ami many other directions is hopefully looked for.