THE ROADING PROBLEM.

Taihape Daily Times, 2 October 1919, Page 5

THE ROADING PROBLEM.

THE QUESTION OF FINANCE. SUGGESTIONS AT COUNTIES’ A CONFERENCE. _" WELLINGTON, Oct. 1. Stress was laid to-day at the opening of the Counties’ Conference on the importance of settling problems. of local government in regard to satisfactory finance for development and settlement, and thereby increasing the production as necessary to pay off the debts incurred by the war. Mr Hine, Minister of Internal Affairs, emphasised especially the need for solving the problem of the construction and maintenance of the main arterial roads_ 9 Mr G. W. Russell, ex-Minister of Internal Affairs, urged the institution of satisfactory finance in order that the local authorities in question might be able to carry out their proper work of developing the country. ‘ Mr Hine said it was quite evident the present methods of construction, upkeep, and control of roads were out of date. Pel's_onally,Ahe was inclined to institute a Board of Works to define which Were main roads requiring aid from the State.

Mr Russell said the first thing that must ‘be provided was an assured finance. It was scandalous that counties should -be treated as they had been in the past_ It was only by a sdund system of finance in the shape of. subsidies that semement might be forwaided. and production ', inqreased.’ The subsidy should rise even to an ex-

tent; as at West. Taupo, for instance, when it might be £lO for every £1 of rates‘.-I~a:‘ised. He was opposcthtoé the ésubdfifision of counti‘es.‘intoT What, in his opinion, were nothing more I:h<aA_nl glol*ified’l'o-ad‘boards. He believed ihi strong counties, strong enough to. maintain a fir-st—class ‘stats with'lirst-T-W class engineers. . b é‘,