TOLL-GATE COMMISSION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 36, 12 June 1915, Page 2

TOLL-GATE COMMISSION.

„ i ! I further proceedings. Further evidence on the question of the proposed toll-gate at Waipuku [was given before Mr Commisisoner Short as follows: i Mr Quilliam, for the New Plymouth Borough Council and the Taranaki Countv Council, said that the Stratford County did not ask the Taranaki County and New Plymouth Borough Council to contribute. Neither Now Plymouth or Taranaki opposed the erection of a toll-gate. The P.W.D. tally was of little value, as various tallies showed great difference in the numbers. His clients had a tally taken for six days, which showed that New Plymouth averaged live cars per 'diom, Taranaki four and a-half cars per day. Taranaki County should not be asked to contribute because the Devon Road carried all traffic into New Plymouth. All cattle for the freezing works from South Taranaki were dnven over county roads. The road was ,nob expensive in upkeep. The Stratford County valuation was six years , old. The Taranaki County was hcav- ■ il y rated, the average being 2s 7cl per acre, while Strffttford’s was only Is lid Stratford is rated on unimproved value,,,while Taranaki County was on the, capital value. Section 109 oi the; Public Works Act was passed to provide for the gates of the Hutb Road. This Act has not been taken ad- , [vantage of by local bodies to any ex-

tent. , Joseph Brown, chairman of the l.aranaki County Council, said he had had 98 years experience as a Councillor. He used the Mountain Road frequently. The traffic of stock to the freezing works had increased. Taranaki district was mainly dairying. the stock came from outside districts, the Devon Road carried most of the motor traffic from Stratford and Chiton Counties. No outside local body contributes to the upkeep of the Devon Road The Mountain Road was not expensive to keep, as the railway takes the heavy traffic and metal in the Stratford County was easily obtain-

able. . , To Mr Fookes: The population m the Taranaki County had not increased considerably. He did not think that the other Counties would ask permission to erect gates. He thought that the Stratford County should be aide to keep the road. A toll-gate was the best means of raising funds; the man who used the road should pay for it. The Taranaki County Council abolished the old toll-gates because they did not pay. To Mr Spence: The Taranaki County Council abolished one of the gates because they were so successful that they were enabled to abolish one of them. Th e Taranaki Council had three gates on nineteen miles of the Main Road. The Inglewood Borough did not object. They had a toll-gate now at Puniho, where revenue ws most needed. An increase in valuation would only increase the rates and the ratepayers would be no better off. To Mr Fookes.—The absence of a railwy on the Main oSuth Road would account for extra heavy traffic, and rendered the gate necessary.

Mr Dowsett, for the Clifton County Council said that the Clifton Council’s contribution to the tally was one motor car. ' It would be unfair to tax a County which had its own expense, in order to maintain another bodies road. The Clifton Council’s revenue was £SOOO, and this was eaten up in keeping up the roads of the County. They could not possibly contribute, as their revenue was insufficient. The Waitara Borough, who used the road also, had not been cited to contribute.

Mr Murdoch, for the Hawera County Council, said that Hawera objected to the citation of Hawera to contribute towards the expense of the main road. Nothing had been proved to show that the cars tallied were Hawera County cars. The Hawera County kept up their roads at considerable expense. There was little metal in Hawera County, and they had to get the material from outside sources. Hawera could not be fairly asked to contribute towards the upkeep of another County’s roads, as the expense in keeping its own was heavy enough.

To Mr Spence: The toll-gates were esesntial, and worked successfully. To Mr Fookes: If there were railj ways on the routes there would be no toll-gates. Mr Weir, for Eltham County Council, said that the Eltham County were not opposed to the toll-gate. The Eltham County is the registering body , for both Eltham Borough Council and I for the Eltham County. There was 1 nothing to show from the tally that I the cars mentioned were Eltham County cars. The general rate of the Eltham County is higher than the Stratford on an average from ten contiguous sections from the Eltham and Stratford Counties. He submitted that perhaps the Stratford County had not rated itself sufficiently. The Elilmm County raised from 1910 to 1915, roughly, £<>3,ooo. A groat deal ol the Eltham roads wore tarred and the County had done this out of their own funds. The Eltham County were responsible, for two per cent, only of the traffic tallied. The Eltham County did not use the road for stock. Motor (cars and motor cycles were the only vehicles from Eltham County using the road. If one party should contribute to the other, that other should contribute to the first party. If Eltham had to contribute to Stratford, Stratford would be called upon to contribute to Eltham, and would on a population basis have to pay more. 1 William John Tristram, County Clerk for Eltham, swore to the correctness of the figures put in as to the value and rates of the sections referred to by Mr Weir. Mr Spence objected to the putting in of the rates of certain sections. The average of the whole county should be taken. It was unfair, as there was

no evidence :is to Hie value ol t

properties cited. The sections ■ may be swamp or of poor quality. To Mr Spence: He believed that tl |( ‘ toll-gate was the best means of raising funds. The Eltham gates brought in about £ISOO per annum. This sum relieved the farmers of much expense, as the users of the road paid tor the road. Stratford was larger than the Klthain County considerably, but there was very little difference in the value. Stratford paid £17,520 in rates, El* tham paid £9,900. To Mr Fookes; The Klthain roads had no railway. If there was a railway the tolls may possibly be removed.

To Mr Spence: If tbe railway was there and there was still not sufficient funds then, lie would prefer the gates to an apportionment, to provide tho extra, funds. Mr T. C. Fookes, for the Stratford Borough.drew the Commission’s attention to the valuation, which was an old one. A valuatjon'ffve years old was of no use . When the Borough was constituted in 1898 the Stratford Borough, the roads in the Borough had been formed by the Stratford County Council. In .1899 the Borough had to raise a large sum to liquidate the [amount of debt left on the section of tbe road taken over. The Borough had to keep up some 2* miles of the Mountain Road, which was li chains wide, and consequently was more expensive. Moreover, the Stratford Borough had to keep up about four miles of main roads. The Stratford Borough was rated up to the hilt. The | railway ran right alongside the Mountain Road. The toll-gate was only 4i miles from the Borough houndary. Ihe Borough roads are largely used by 'ratepayers, as Stratford " as 'the centre of a large dairying industry and County ratepayers brought their milk over the Borough roads. .There was no special reason why the Stratford Borough ratepayers should be taxed to support the County roads any more thap the County ratepayeis should have to pay towards the cost of the Borough roads. The expenditure Ito be put on this road was to metal and tar the road. This was due to the increase in motor traffic. Motoiists I should pay for the road. If the revaluation was made and rates raised the Stratford County would be out oi difficulties. '

Josiphiah Wedgewood Boon, Mayor of Stratford, said that as the Mountain Road is the main road running north and south of the province, the erection of a toll-gate at the place proposed would create a precedent, and Taranaki, Kltliam, and Hawera County Councils, and Councils further south, would in all probability apply for permission to erect toll-gates, and the Government could not very well refuse the applications, as the Mountain Road serves all the Counties mentioned. If the proposed toll-gate is the only one erected, then the Stratford County would he drawing toll from traffic that would pay nothing to either Hawera, Eltham or Taranaki, although it would be using the same road through each of these Counties. Hence an injustice would ho done to each of them. If the road were a side road leading to the County it' would be on a different footing. Drovers driving cattle to the Stratford market would no doubt avoid the toll gate by travelling across country on the by-roads and coming back to the Mountain Road by the Croydon, Stanley and BeaConsfield Roads, thus travelling over and using more mile[age of roads than they would if there were no toll-gate.

Method of Collecting Revenue. —The proposed method of collecting revenue for the upkeep of roads is very primitive and expensive, as besides the erection of gates, fences, a house for the keeper, and cost of upkeep, the salary of the keeper also has to he paid. It is also very inconvenient and annoying to people who use the road. Cost of Maintenance.— -Owing to the proximity of river metal in the Waipuku, Mangonui and T e Popo streams, and access to these rivers being easy, this part of the Mountain Road can he more cheaply metalled and maintained than any other road in the County. Large quantities of stone are crushed in this district and railed to Whangamomoua and Hpiroa for the roads in those districts, and there is no reason why the Stratford County, with the material for doing so, so convenient, cannot maintain this road as well as the Taranaki, Hawera, and Eltham Counties maintain their portions of the same road. Freezing Works.—Practically tire whole of the fat sheep and lambs coming from the Stratford County to the freezing works are taken by rail and not by the Mountain Road. Hence it is natural for those farmers and drovers in the Stratford County who send them to prefer to advocate toll instead of paying rates. Destination of Traffic.—The figures show as follows :

Stratford County ... ... 091 Taranaki County ... 013 Stratford Borough ... 148 New Plymouth Borough ... 114 Other places ... 121 Of this total of 1690, only 148 has for its destination the Stratford Borough. Of this 148 (28 are gigs, 15 carts, and 15 horsemen, a total of 58), only 13 gigs and 4 carts have their origin in Stratford, thus reducing the total number of 148 by 41, leaving Kb only belonging to the Borough. 'I hose figures again prove that the traffic is chiefly confined to the Taranaki and Stratford Counties, the Borough oi Stratford contributing only a small percentage. Motors.—The number of motors used on the road in proportion to other vehicles gives weight more to the idea of a motor tax than to taxation of all other classes of traffic by means of a toll-gate. The motor tax could bo arranged by the local authoriteies or

bv the Government by way ol a tax on ( 'lyres. The proceeds ol the tax could | j be expended on the main roads ol each , ( locality, and expenditure divided in proportion to mileage of roads to be maintained. This would be a more satisfactory method than the proposal of the Stratford County to establish a ! toll-gate, which will mean in this case that the Stratford County will be taking toll from all the traffic using this particular road, and the adjoining local authorities, Taranaki, Eltham, Hawera Counties, and Stratford Borough, ) while having the same amount ol through traffic (this class of traffic being reciprocal) will receive nothing. Mileage of Roads in County and Borough.—About nine miles of the Mountain Road runs through the Stratford County, and about one and three-quarter miles through the Strutford Township, forming the main street of the Borough which carries the whole of the through traffic from north and south. In addition to this portion of the Mountain Road, the 1 Borough has to maintain nearly one mile of Regan Street, which carries all the traffic of the East Road, which is the main arterial road from the Ohura and outlying eastern districts, also nearly one mile of Celia Street carrying the whole of the County traffic from the Opunake Road, the main j arterial road on the western side of ! Stratford County, also about half a jmile of the Pembroke Road, which carries all the farmers traffic from that portion of the County, and also carries the tourist traffic to the Mountain. This makes a total of over four miles of main arterial roads, the maintenance of which is borne wholly by the Stratford Borough Council, making a total of 20 miles of metalled streets in the Borough. These facts show that the Stratford Borough should not contribute to the cost of upkeep of County roads, as it is now contributing more than its quota to the main arterial roads in the Borough, and especially as the whole of our streets are used by the Stratford County residents. Further, the Borough main streets are one and a-half chains wide, and cost a great deal of money to keep liu repair, our general rate is now up ito the limit allowed, being 3d in the £, and we also haye a number of spo'rial rates, so that'we are quite unable to contribute towards County roads, j Origin of Traffic.—The tally of traffic taken by the Public Works Department for one week, from 10th May last, dis.closes tlie.se facts: The total amount of traffic, including motor cars, motor bicycles, push bikes, gigs, carts, engines, waggons, horsemen, pedestrians, sheep and cattle, has its origin as under :

Stratford County ... 541 Taranaki County ... 796 Stratford Borough ... 100 New Plymouth Borough ... 93 Other places ... ... 160 1690 These figures prove that very little of the traffic originates in tho Stratford Borough. They also show that of the total of 1690, 1337 originates in tho Stratford and Taranaki Counties. To Mr Spence: The objection was a (commercial one. There is no toll-gate on the - main road from New Plymouth to Wellington. The Stratford people [used the railway mostly. Motorists were put to much annoyance. He objected also on account of this annoyance. The erection of a toll-gate would divert trade from Stratford. The people affected by the toll could easily do business in other towns, to apporach which they could avoid the toll-gate. Mr Boon said that if there

was a railway on the route there would he no toll-gates.

I When Mr J. B. Richards was called Mr Spence here objected to bodies not cited being allowed to hand in written opinions. Ho would not object to facts, but objected to opinions. | Mr Fookes held that he was entitled to call evidence of Mr Richards as a ■ ratepayer. John Bangham Richards, Fresiden jof the Stratford Chamber of Con: merco, said that his chamber objecte to the erection oi the gate because i would act as a restraint on Stratfon Irado. '1 lie collection of revenue b; means of tolls was expensive and irri j tating. The Stratford County is no warranted in erecting the gate be cause the County is well provided witl railways which relieved the Count; oi’ much heavy traffic. The Stratfon | County would stand increased rating 'I he valuation was obsolete and a re valuation would increase the revenm from the land. Generally the advent of the motor car had thrust on tin roads increased traffic, and some tax should be made on tyres to provide extra funds. William P. Kirkwood, President of the Automobile Association, said that motorists generally objected to the toll-gate. It was a primitive means of collecting funds, and other means should be adopted. Motor tyres would be subject to extra custom duties, and the sum thus collected would be localised and apportioned. There were 10,000 cars in New Zealand, and such a tax would bring in £20,000 and interest thereon. Such a tax would be hailed by motorists. To Mr Spence. The Automobile Association was recently formed and had a tentative membership of about forty. A motorist on the country roads would use more tyres than a city man on docked streets. The tolls were levied ucording to horse-power. The Commissioner pointed out that n New South Wales a tax on motorsts was levied on a heavier scale han was levied on tolls in New Zeaund. Charles Penn, County Clerk for j ftoen years, said; The annual receipts u rates was £12,100; the annual in-

t'Mer.t cii loan- (£25,000) amounted to jJoOOO. There is at least £IOOO outstanding rates for 191-1. r len per cent, additional rate was added to this. The County had no declared main roads. The, North Hiding rates amounted to £3182. There are filtvtwo miles of metalled roads out of the hundred and ninety miles of road in the North Riding, out ol which the five and a-half miles of the Mountain Road received £1157. There was a debt of £2323 16s 4d on the North Riding, and about half of which debt was on the Mountain Road. The County received an average of £45 per square mile in rates. Eltham 'County was on an average rated at |£l9 per square mile. Hawera <as rated at an average of £7O per square mile. The County had already paid in anticipation of rates £BOOO on an overdraft. Mangaehu Hiding, an average sized Hiding, is rated at 3d in the £, and yet produced only £1234 13s (3d in rates. When the question, of toll-gates was discussed, he was instructed by the Council to inform r,he Government that as soon as the road is in order the tolls would he taken a wav.

To Mr Cookes: He understood that the funds derived from the toll would he put towards the construction ot the road, not towards the maintenance. The special loan on the Mountain Road would he paid off. The interest on this special loan was paid out of the general rate. The County could rate at 3d in the £ on improved value. The County was getting 2Jd on the unimproved value whereas they could rate at 3d on the imp. ived value. The only reason why the Council wanted the road good was to make a good motor road. The expense was to he made for and because of the motorists.

To Mi- Spence: The piece of ioa.l had been a source ot T .rouble lor many years. The North Rifling had raised in loans about £30,000 within the last twenty-four years. The North Riding was one of the largest Ridings. To Mr Fookes: The Stratford County was valuel in 1909, tiie suirounding Counties bad been re-val .led since then. A ro-valuation would probably increase the value by one-third. William Janies Lopdell, County Engineer, said that the roads in the North Riding are in a very bad condition. The main road requires widening and repairing. The Council purposed to treat the road from proceels of the toll. The construction was necessary on account of the congestion of traffic on the one wheel track. A portion of the road was replaced two years ago and had now to he again replaced. By-roads under the same conditions would last ten to twelve years. The increasing motor traffic would necessitate much work on this road. The by-roads were being starved to keep the main road. The cost of metal was on an average over 10s per yard. The Stratford Borough were charging them on a boundary road 10s per yard. At the present rate of revenue it would take fifteen years to rehabiliate the road. With the present traffic, it would wear out four times in fifteen years. Even with increased revenue the County could not got ahead of the work on account of the continual wearing out of the road. It would cost the County between 12s and 14s 6d to take metal from cheir main depot to the Mountain Road. The County intended expending £2500 in bridges, in addition to the £9OOO referred to by the County Clerk. The annual upkeep of the whole road was about £ISOO. Ihe toll-gate would bring in a revenue of between £ISOO to £2OOO. It was proposed to expend the takings added to the rates in reforming the road with six inches of metal and three inches of tar and macadam on top of that. With £2OOO per annum it would take five years to reform the road. It was proposed to do a certain amount of new road every year, keeping that already done in order until the nine and a-half miles was finished. The revenue from first-class railway fares

TCa& deere-acjm. The Stratford Bor- < uugli Council had lorly-six motor : cycles and fifty-six motor cars. The Stratford County Council had twenty- : two motor cycles and twenty-one motor cars. The County would bo faced with considerable expenditure 1 on bridges within the next three yeais The raepayers in the North Riding byroads suffered an injustice in having their roads starved to maintain the mam road. To Mr Fookos: They had re-metal- j led from ten to twelve chains of this road. The Depot was only twenty to ;twenty-five chains away from the railway. The expenditure was now £looo per annum, but when the road was tarred it would cost £9OO per annum. He did not think a loan would go through on this portion of the road. Permanent works should he done out of special loans. Twelve feet was too narrow for any main road for any sort of traffic. Once the tolls were levied, the work would begin, and a section done at a time. It was just as cheap to do the work hy small separate contracts as by letting one big contract. Thomas H. Anderson, of Mahoe, said that when the toll-gate was erected in Eltham, a hue and cry arose among the ratepayers against the gate. He was then opposed to the gate, but on seeing how successfully the gate worked, he had altered his opinion, and because he thought the gate was the best and fairest means of collecting money. Before the gate was erected the road was perhaps the rattiest for miles around. A special loan of £42,000 was raised, but before this was done, it was provided for that a toll was levied on a road which would pay the interest on that loan. The toll-gate would catch the real users of the road. It was impossible to compare values in neighbouring Counties. The proportion in respect of the Counties would be Hawera £6O, Eltham £4O, and Stratford £2O. He paid in rates to Eltham on a new valuation £l4. To Mr Fookes: The ratepayers would reject a proposal to get a special loan for the work. The road in Eltham was constructed out of the loan, but the tolls were used to maintain the road. The Eltham people built their road out of loan money. He did not think the Stratford County should raise a loan for their purpose. Eltham probably would take the gates away. The railway did not relievo the road of the motor traffic.

Mr Hathaway said the reason why the Te Ropo Bridge was being built out of general revenue was because the ratepayers in the North Riding were paying their limit on bridge loans.

To Mr Fookes: The Council had not put any proposals to the ratepayers because he considered that the ratepayers were taxed enough.

Mr Fookes said thtuJ no special reason had been given why the Stratford County Council should be given the privilege of erecting the gate. The County was within a short distance of paying off The debt on this road. The tolls were erected for the purpose of maintaining the roads. This, gate was proposed to be erected in order to provide funds to construct a road. The ratepayers should bear the burden of construction, not casual users of the road. He pointed out that the relative burdens of the Stratford Borough and the Stratford County were unfair. If the road was to be constructed to suit motorists, motorists should pay for the road. Before the County erected the gate, they should adopt the powers of rating which was given them. They were rating at

but could increase that rate to

3d in the £. The Stratford Borough Council had to maintain one and three-quarters of the Mountain road without outside assistance. Tho , Stratford Borough Council objected to contributing in any shape or form, j Mr Spence said that it seemed to him that the real issue had been lost. The local bodies except the Stratford | Borough Council were not opposed to the toll-gate, and they had gates of their own. This was a strong argument in favour of the application.

There was no evidence tendered to show that the road did not need re- . pair and re-construction. The neces- - I sity of maintaining this road resulted - in starring the by-roads used by the ' settlers wiio paid the rates to mainI | A j tarn the main road. These ratepayers , were spending one third of their re- . 'venue on live and a-half miles of main , road, and thereby starving some IG miles of by-road. A new valuation | would not relieve the burden, as the rates would go up and the extra rates !would go into tiie main road. The increased value would merely increase the starving of the by-roads. The Stratford County Council were in a position to know the position of their finances, and had decided that the finances would 1 loot allow tbeih to raise a special loan, I [The toll was to be levied as much on the ratepayers as well as on the people who lived outside the County or I within the Stratford Borough. Regarding Eltham, he contended that Elthain had not removed their gate and would not do' so until they had paid off the debt on the road. ' Stratford intended to erect the gate and pay for the road out of the tolls without go|ing to the expense of raising a special ' loan as Eltham had done. Jt was pre- { ferahle to build the road by means of raising the funds by a toll-gate. One I objection was that the system was |archaic. The Legislature retained these gates and consequently the gates must he a successful means of raising the funds necessary for the road. The question of suggesting legislature to tax tyres was beyond the scope of the Commission. The Borough’s objection was because they “feared” that the erection of the toll-gate would perhaps keep one or jwo settlers and their business away ; from Stratford. These people would use the railway. But in any case, was it preferable for Stratford to lose one

■;r tno cottiers 'buriners rr for the icttlcrs in the North Riding to antler mch a great injustice as they were uifferiug now? He held that he was supported in his application by the 'act that not one of the outside bodies tpposed the erection of the toll-gate, he suggested that the Borough Council's levy on the percentage of traffic would be a considerable sum. it war unfair of the Borough Council to object as not one representative of the settlers had opposed the gate. The Automobile Association’s objection was not a real and a fair one. He contended finally that not one of the facts put forward by him had been disputed or denied. The necessity for the road, the necessity of having to raise the money, and finally the proposal of erecting the toll-gate had not been seriously denied. The Commissioner then said that the matter had been thoroughly threshed out in an able manner by counsel for both parties. He would report to the Governor, who would in time let his favour he known. Proceedings then terminated.