THE HIGHWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1922, Page 7

THE HIGHWAYS.

CARE OF MAIN ROADS. MINISTER MAKES A REPORT. LEGISLATION WILL BE DRAFTED. The proceedings of the Highways Conference, which sat in Wellington for a day and a half this week, were surveyed by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) in a statement. The sole definite decisions reached by the conference were that the improvement of the main roads was necessary, and that some national controlling authority was required for this purpose. The Minister will indicate later the direction of the legislation he intends to place before Parliament. “It was unanimously agreed that main roads were necessary and, secondly, that it would be necessary to set up some . such organisation as a Highways Board, whose special duty it would be to bring about an improved standard of road construction and maintenance.” said the Minister. “But it was recognised that the existing governing authorities, whether Crown or local, could not, with the funds pow available, bring about any special im : provement. After a discussion lasting a day and a half all parties began to converge towards a common point of view, and the general sense or feeling of the meeting was somewhat as follows: , MOTORISTS MUST PAY. “Improved roads being primarily required for use of motor traffic, it was generally acknowledged that the motors themselves must provide a considerable proportion of the new money necessary to provide the improved standard of construction and maintenance. It was assumed for purposes of discussion that something like £300,090 must be produced from this source; to this would be added practically ' the same sum per annum as is now provided from the Consolidated and Public Works Fund, but spent on what the conference suggested should Ise called main traffic roads. The terms under a classification scheme would be main arterial highways and roads of secondary importance, but would not include any departmental roads or roads of purely I local interest. The total funds thus assumed to be available would be something over £500,000. “Coming to the disposal of these (funds "it was generally recognised that i a portion must be devoted to maintenance and a portion to improvement of ; existing standards, involving - recon- ■ struction of some roads and new construction or deviation of others. It was suggested and generally agreed that a portion at least of the funds must be paid to existing local authorities on a graded basis, depending partly on the amount of rates collected and partly on a proportion which the rate itself bore to the maximum allowed by the Act. This sum would be spent by the local authorities on approved works to be carried out on the main traffic roads. A portion of this money might be devoted to actual construction and portion to payment of interest and sinking fund on" loans to be raised.

“The county representatives went so far as to say that their organisation would support a proposal whereby in the event of their receiving money for permanent improvements they would pay two-thirds interest and sinking fund provided the highways account paid the other third. It was not definitely agreed whether this should come out of the previously-mentioned subsidy on rates or whether this would be a further amount to be paid to local authorities. The general Government will require to maintain for a time at least the roads which it at present maintains, these roads having been taken over by the general Government in the past on account of the financial condition of the local authorities through whose territory they run, the same being poor and undeveloped. BORROWING WILL BE NECESSARY.

“It was recognised that substantial progress and improvement would require a certain amount of borrowing, and it was agreed that the sum of approximately £150,000 should be devoted to the payment of interest and sinking fund on loans to be raised for permanent road improvements, as in the early stages of the work the amount necessary for the interest and sinking fund would only be a portion, the balance would be used in practically paying for actual work. Although the county representatives were averse to any classification of the roads into main arterial roads, and other of less importance, it was generally recognised that there are certain roads which are of more general Dominion wide interest than the great majority of roads. These special roads have been referred to as main arterial roads, and ezer since the motor interests have clamored for better roads there has# always been an understanding in the public mind that these referred to arterial connection throughout the country.” The Minister indicated to the conference that he favored a portion of the funds being devoted specifically to these arterial roads. In order to overcome the apparent injustice which might be felt if valuable improvements were done in the territory of counties which had not made any special effort in the past to grapple with the problem while others had manfully faced the position, it was suggested that the main highway authority might in a way purchase these roads or a proportion of them; in other words, make an annual payment which would represent a proportion of future interest and sinking fund on past local body expenditure.

•’For instance,” said the Minister, “assume that a local body has built a first-class road at a cost of, say, ’ £3OOO per mile, and that interest and sinking fund throughout amounted to £lBO per annum per mile, then taking the proportion suggested by the county representatives, the Government would pay £6O per annum per mile. Another local body with less traffic, and con-

sequently a less expensive road, though one perhaps quite adequate, might have spent only £2OOO, and on the same reasoning above it would receive £4O per mile per annum. The figures above refer only to surfacing and not to original formation, culverts and ‘bridges, as those have quite largely been paid for by the General Government. The balance of the land would be allocated by the advice of the Main Highways Board for special works of either bridging, deviation, or general improvements wherever requirements seemed to indicate the greatest necessity.

WAYS AND MEANS. “When during the discussion regarding available ways and means it became apparent that something like £150,000 would be required from motors apart from the tyre tax' already imposed and being accumulated, the necessity to find the additional £150,000 from motors was not at all favorably received. But towards the end of the conference there seemed to be a feeling amongst representatives of motor interests that if they really had to find the sum of £300,000 they would make proposals as to how this could be obtained, and whether it could be secured without levying such a high license fee as was originally suggested in the draft Motor Registration Bill of last year. It was recognised by all parties that the necessity and insistent demand for better roads was brought about almost entirely by the rapid development of mechanical transport within the last few years; in other words, it is the motor which requires jthe improved road, and the motor must contribute a considerable proportion of the amount required to furnish better roads.

“As to the method of control of this expenditure. It was originally proposed by the representatives at the conference that there should, be a board of six members, with a chairman, but that this board should be divided into two, one section administering the North Island and the other the South. This was rather opposed by the Minister as being unnecessarily large, and as the conference went on the feeling seemed to turn in the direction of having only one small board to control the whole of the work. “The question of maintenance and reconstruction and general improvement of main traffic roads is one in which there is a considerable tendency for conferring interests to differ as to the best means of achieving and financing the desired end. The bringing together .of these interests in conference has had the effect to an extent hardly anticipated of -bringing these conflicting interests to a much greater degree of harmony, and the conference generally was approached in a spirit of give and take.” • The Minister added that no fixed resolutions were passed except confirmation of the fact that existing roads were not good enough and that better roads should be provided. It is his intention to summarise the general sense or feeling of the conference, harmonising it as far as possible with his own ideas and the ability of the GovernI ment find additional ways and • means. The result would be embodied !in a memorandum to the association*! represented at the conference, wherein the Minister will set out in a general way the lines on which he proposed to legislate.