COUNTIES CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1919, Page 4

COUNTIES CONFERENCE.

THf ROADS PROBLEM. ' *' By Telegraph.—Press Association;, i Wellington, Oct. 2. ' A deputation from the Good Koade, Association and the New Zealand Auto-, mobile Union waited on the Counties* Conference to-day and placed before! the conference the question of the control of roads. Mr M. A. Wynyard, on behalf of 'the' Good Roads Association, said that England had voted £8,000,000, Canada £4,000,000, for roads; while New York State had spent £25,000,000. California had borrowed up to the present time £6,500,000 and proposed to obtain anthority for borrowing a further £7,n 000,000. While outlining the proposals Mr WjmyaTd said that the administrative executive body could be called the County Road Board and should consist of three members. The board would have wide powers and its chief duty would be to investigate road conditions throughout the Dominion and to fiinance schemes. Authority would" be given to the Governor-in-Counell to raise £500,000 yearly for the perma* nant improvement of roads. After hearing the deputation the con« ference proceeded to discuss th» 'fto* posala. " t Wellington, Last Night.

In the course of the dismission, after % deputation had withdrawn, Sit James Wilson said, with regard to a National Roads Board, he did hot think It Wise to multiply the number of Government uft« cials. If they appointed a Government board he did not think it would tatilfy the local bodies.

Mr. G. V. Pearce, M.P., moved that the Government should not take over the main arterial roads, as the local bodies could look after their roads better than the Government could. He said the Government should assist local bodies in their road works by contributions, from the Consolidated Revenue.

President Jul), said that some auttftw ity was required to lay down a better. standard of road work than obtained in the country to-day. If roads we*s to be made of a permanent nature, many of them would require to be regraded and remade. Were the local bodies to carry out that work? It could scarcely be expected that uniformity in methods would result.

Eventually the various remits dealing with arterial roads, also Mr. Pearce's motion, were referred to a committee tq report upon.

SUBSIDIES AND GRANTS. * Wellington, Last tfiglit. ' The committee set up by the Counties' Conference to consider th* question of subsidies and grants to aid county conncih reported to-day that there he paid to all county councils a uniform subsidy on all general rates collected up to the prescribed maximum of ten shillings in the pound as defined by Section 117 of the Counties Act, 1908; that the Government in order to increase settlement and production in the interests of the whole community should make special financial provision for vigorous" roading policy in undeveloped districts of the Dominion, and, further, the committee conRiders that work could be best carried out by the counties concerned acting under Government supervision. The report was adopted. The Counties conference decided that the Postmaster-General should be requested not to take into consideration the estimated revenue to be derived from outlying or isolated districts when deciding upon the postal facilities to be granted, as such a method was nqt calculated to encourage successful settlement of the backblocks.

A remit was carried urging the Govern* ment to purchase and supply local bodies installing electricity with all material* for reticulation at a reasonable price, and to amend the railway tariff so as to carry all Australian hardwoods at ofdi< nary rates. Among the remits adopted at the Counties Conference to-day were:— That a fair proportion (say one-fourth) of the. rentß derived from all Crown pastoral licenses be paid to local bodies for the purpose of making and maintaining roads and bridges giving access to such pastoral licenses.

That no transfer of Crown lands be approved by the Land Board until a certificate is obtained from a local body that all rates on the land to be dealt with are paid. That in all cases where the Crown part chases for settlement purposes lands which have been previously rateable that the same liability shall attach to the Crown in regard to the payment of rates as was now imposed upon an owner oi{ first mortgagee in respect of private! freehold lands.

That the Crown shall be liable for the payment of all rates on lands acquired by the Crown for any year during which; there is no occuoier.

That more drastic steps be taken hf the Government to control and eradicate; noxious weeds.