DIVIDED HIGHWAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 883, 29 January 1930, Page 7

DIVIDED HIGHWAY

NO CONTRIBUTION TOWARD MT. ALBERT ROAD A “DEATH-TRAP” Undeterred by the Main Highways ! Board’s refusal to contribute toward the maintenance of the paved half of Mount Albert Road, the Mount Albert Borough Council intends to persist with its claim to financial assistance in the upkeep of that portion of the route. The centre of the road is the boundary of the Mount Albert borough and the Mount Roskill road district. Mount Albert’s side is in concrete; Mount Roskill’s side is in a very rough state. According to advice received by the council last evening in response to its representations, Mr. F. W. Furkert, chairman of the Main Highways Board, does not consider the position of Mount Albert anomalous or unique as the council claimed. There are several similar cases in New Zealand, lie says. He claims that because the Mount Albert borough is not within any highways district it is illegal fpr the board to subsidise any work carried out on any section or portion of load in the borough. No other borough in New Zealand with a population over 6,000 is included in any highways district ndr does any other borough receive assistance from the Main Highways Board. Dealing with an inference that Mount Albert borough is suffering u.q injustice, Mr. Furkert points out that Mount Albert borough is already receiving its proportion of contribution from the benzine taxation for expenditure on continuations of main highways. Mr. Furkert’s concluding suggestion is that the present position can be overcome by altering the Mount Albert borough boundary so that the whole of the road would then be in the Mount Roskill district, to which the board would then be able to contribute. "It seems like adding insult to injury to suggest that Mount Albert should hand over its portion of the road to Mount Roskill, seeing our section is paved with concrete,” declared the Mayor, Mr. L. E. Rhodes. In the opinion of Cr. J. M. Langley, the Highway Board’s policy was one of “cheeseparing” and because the Mount Albert borough had laid down its section in concrete no assistance toward upkeep was forthcoming, yet this section was carrying all the traffic. “It is most ridiculous that a main highway can be split down the centre,” he declared. Describing the Mount Roskill side of the road as an “absolute deathtrap” to those unacquainted with the route, Cr. A. Buckley asserted that sooner or later the Mount Albert Council would have to assume control of the whole section from Vincent’s Road to Jury’s Store. Cr. G. E. Carr declared that it was an “absolute nightmare” to drive over the route and, he added, that big lorries which travelled that way “went for the lick of their lives.” He warned ilie council of the danger of a serious smash. The council decided to refer the whole question to a joint committee for reconsideration.