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LEGISLATION New legislation affecting the Board and passed since last report is contained in the Public Works Amendment Act, 1948. Section 22 authorizes the authority having control of any motor-way, highway, road, street, or way over which the public pass or to which the public has access, to construct, erect, dig, or grow thereon, or remove therefrom, such barriers, dividing strips, guiding or sign posts, pillars, or other markers, trees, hedges, lawns, gardens, and other devices as may in the opinion of the authority be necessary or desirable for separating, guiding, or warning traffic, intercepting glare, or for any other purpose. Section 23 authorizes any local authority through whose district a highway, or part thereof, may pass to construct and maintain on the highway within, its district cycle-tracks, footpaths, kerbs, water-tables, and other facilities for pedestrian and cycle traffic, and to pay for same out of moneys available for road and street construction in its district. Section 33 provides for the charges of removal and re-erection of power poles where they are likely to endanger traffic to be met equally by the authority controlling the road or highway and the utility authority having control over the poles. Section 44 repeals section 3 of the Public Works Amendment Act, 1947, and the following is substituted therefor : 3. (1) At the request of the Main Highways Board the Governor-General may from time to time by Order in Council published in the Gazette—(a) Authorize the construction of a motor-way, and state as nearly as possible the line of the motor-way, and the two termini thereof: (b) Declare any land or any public highway, whether then actually constructed as a motor-way or not, to be a motor-way. (2) Every Order in Council under this section may in like manner be from time to time amended or revoked. Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations 1940, Amendment No. 6 Regulation 5a provides that no person shall operate any heavy motor-vehicle outside a borough where there is a population of 6,000 or upwards if the air pressure in any tire fitted to the vehicle exceeds 75 lb. per square inch. Regulation 7a provides a convenient and speedy method for restricting loads and speeds on bridges where such restrictions are deemed necessary. PROGRESS REPORT A general description of the more important highway activities carried out in each district is as follows : Whangarei District The major part of the year's work consisted of maintenance and minor improvements. A programme is in hand to remove clay and earth shoulders, built to contain the metal of .the carriage-way, and replace them with compacted aggregate feather-edged to the water-fables. This work is improving subgrade moisture conditions and assisting road stability. Owing to the shortage of steel little progress was made with bridge construction. A total length of 665 ft. is being built, but no structures were completed during the year. Construction work was restricted owing to the necessity of conserving available authorities, and only 4 miles 79 chains of new formation was completed. In preparation for projected works some 50,000 cubic yards of metal have been stacked on the sites of proposed new reconstruction, and contracts have been let for further considerable quantities of metal.

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