HIGHWAYS POLICY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 761, 6 September 1929, Page 10

HIGHWAYS POLICY

BOARD INDEPENDENT OF GOVERNMENT HIGHER ADVANCES FOR SOUTH (THE SL S S Parliaments, y Ptpo c t PARLIAMENT fc u S. An indication that the methods of the Main Highways Board will not be subjected to Government interference was given in the House of Representatives today. Grants for the South Island will this year be nearly double those of last year. ’ Mr. D. Jones (Mid-Canterbury > -ked the Prime Minister to make a state- ■ ment of the Government attitude toward the Alain Highways Board. Mr. j Jones did not want to be told to wait until the Transport Bill was brought | down. He wanted a definite answer ; immediately. The present position i was affecting rather seriously the Ash - ] burton county. In January the county j had been asked by the board to lay | down 27 miles of road in bituminous j pavement. The county was now faced j I with the necessity of some big rej construction scheme. It did not know j where it stood, because the whole ! i highways policy had been altered. To- i ; day everything was in the air, and the i contract had been cancelled. The \ j county was the third largest in Xew ; I Zealand, and £25,000 had been paid i last year into the highways fund by : [subsidies, and £IO.OOO only had come ' back. The county thought that it | would get satisfaction, but had got i Sir Joseph Ward pointed out that I the expenditure under the Highways j Board was carried out irrespective of the j Government, which exercised no con- j trol, and advisedly so. over ro | year £3,000,000 had been spent on j ! roads in Xew Zealand. ! Mr. F. Langstone (Waimarino) : The I ! Government should have conti*ol of the j | board. ! The Prime Minister: The Government has no control at all. The board carries out a function which ordinarily i would be carried otit by the Minister in charge of a department. The board carries out its programme quite irrespective of the Government. There can be no doubt that attention will be called to the matter, but there is no reason why the board, or those associated with it. should have any tear as to the amount of money to be pro- : vided by the Government. This seaj son it will be more than was provided last season, and last year’s was a veryheavy sum. If the counties get as much this year as they got last year they ought to consider themselves verywell off. The epuntrv cannot go on spending money* year in and year out, and adding to the enormous expenditure that is going on. A note will be taken of what the member for MidCanterbury has said, and the matter j will be brought before the authorities tomorrow. M.i*. R. Semple (Wellington East): Do you stand by' the present system of control by the Highways Board 7 The Prime Minister: It is fixed by j Act of Parliament. Mr. Semple: 1 know; but do you stand for it? The Prime Minister: Well, we have j to stand by the law. Air. Semple: But you can amend the law. The Prime Minister: We have to see that the law is carried out. It is carried out by* the Highways Board, and as long as it continues as at present the system will go on undisturbed. All*. P. Fraser (Wellington Central): Would you not consider the advisability of amending the law? The Prime Alinister: I think that the matter requires very serious consideration. Air. W. L. Martin (Raglan): So does the board. The Prime Alinister: The subject requires serious consideration. The organisation had worked verv well up till now. (Hear, hear.) Before making any* serious changes ! in the system motorists and the local bodies would be consulted, continued the Prime Minister. They are important factors and we are nut going to rush wildly at revolutionary changes without conferring with those concerned. Air Jones had tried to show that; the Ashburton County* Council had been unfairly treated, said the Min- I lAsteil 1 A stei l of Ptiblic Works, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, but such was not the i case. Xegotiations between the coun- j cil and the board had broken down ! on the point of the amount of inter- i est to be paid on the money* advanced ». by the board. The council had wanted * money at 5 per cent, and the board had ! ] to pay oi per cent. Subsequently the i . boara and the Levels Countv Coun- ! i entered int ° an arragement and ! 1 the Ashburton County notified in July ] , its willingness to accept advances at I ■'P er c ' e,1 L It was not possible to i arrange tor both amounts in the sane- I financial year. It was not right to suggest that the negotiations had I broken down because no funds were available. The sum of £256.131 had been spent on maintenance. in the South Island last year, and it was i proposed to provide £400.000 this sear. For construction £229 S'” wi« ‘? st J ; ear and if "as proposed to git e £42,1.000 this year Tint ‘ meant that nearly a double' sum was provided for expenditure in the ; tthei ,1 thl ® year tha " in anv I board 5 ° e U ’ e ‘nmitution of the I ‘ INTEREST ON ROAD GRANTS ' PROTESTS IN CANTERBURY „ i Association CHRISTCHURCH, Today. rena f idL 1 ? Ce , l . Vin f. '- luch correspondence Uve H W'” VayS Board.” the a e n xecu-' rtrA a V le bouth Island Motor Union cf ! aS ? evemn g to cc-operate with Lho Canterbury* Progress League i" a representative deputation to meet ten* Joseph Ward on the matter.