THE ROADING POLICY.
PROPOSED ARTERIAL ROADS. Speaking at Opunake on Wednesday evening, Air. 0. J. Hawken, M.P. for Kgmor.t, touched on what was proposed by the Government in tlie way of arterial roads—a new policy in regard to road work that was'before .New Zealand at present. They had had a warning on ;tho subject, and he considered that it behoved county councils to see that the .proposed scheme would suit their district and .their needs. Though lie was not thoroughly familiar with the whole scheme, us far as he could see ■at present, he was not at all taken with ■the new proposals, and would be strongly inclined to oppose them. If the Government started arterial roads, it would j be likely to introduce into county work . an element of the town pull. It was | said that nearly every railway in New [Zealand had been constructed to suit certain towns, and it seemed to him undesirablo that .the. same influence should be introduced regarding county roads, and so far, under county control, it had not. If arterial roads were formed in New Zealand, he held that these should not be built alongside n railroad, where the district had already had sufficient Government expenditure, and had derived sufficient advantage therefrom. As a matter of fact, he understood that the first arterial road to be constructed would be between Wellington and Auckland, with the idea that motor traffic might take up .the running in the case of a break-down of the railway service. It seemed extraordinary that it should be necessary to go to such a great expense on that account. As far as he could see, the main road idea would never suit Taranaki, as there were diverse opinions as to which should be the main roads. In his opinion road 3 alongside railway.*, which •took the heavy traffic from them, should be more easily maintained than roads had no railway, and in this connection he instanced Patea County, which maintained its main roads (alon«-' side the railway) well on av jd rate whilst in the back districts, away from the railway, it required a 3d rate He would say without hesitation that those were the people that should be helped in regard to their roads. Whilst recognising that experienced advice was always appreciated, he held that county councils had always carried out their won; jn an able and capable manner He was certain the people of Taranaki would strongly object, to the Government taking over its main mads. There might he certain advantages, but he pointed out that they would be rated through the customs on their Jyre. ~ as there were, a great -na,,,in Taranaki, it might result 'in t„ e i r paying more proportionated for .the maintenance of tlier roads thin they did under ho present system. Th ft roads that radiated from -the railwav, he held were the ones that needed help, an „ he considered that the proposalVnnstruet a mam road through the Dominion should be deferred until roads had been made for people who had no railways. Jt would 1,0 all right if th I were thoroughly developed, but until roads were made for people who had no roads or no railway it was too soon to ?oad°" * H)CCkI P ° IW of mtti "
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Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1920, Page 3
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547THE ROADING POLICY. Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1920, Page 3
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