FOR ABOLITION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 242, 26 July 1935, Page 6

FOR ABOLITION

COLDSTREAM ROAD BOARD.

PETITION IN CIRCULATION. A petition for the abolition of the Coldstream Road Board is being circulated among ratepayers of the district, and there has been a ready response to the appeal for signatures. Before the petition can be presented it must bear the names of a majority of the ratepayers who own at least half of the rateable property in the hoard district. There are 166 names on the roll, and in the last two days 51 names have been signed at the foot of the petition. jOnly one ratepayer has so' far declined to sign.

One of the promoters of the petition told a “Guardian” reporter to-day that while the ratepayers appreciated the work of the members and the late clerk of the board, and gave them credit for any useful work in the past, the feeling was general to-day that the road board system was too* costly to maintain, arid, further, .with the advent of motor traffic and the necessity of keeping roads up to a high standard, necessitated a change to County Council control.

In the past the County Council was responsible for water supply, bridges, plantations, public health, licenses, etc., he said. In 1922, however, the passing of the Main Highways Act brought a large mileage of road under the control of the County Council, the Act not recognising road boards. ® In the Coldstream district the council already had control of the main r oads, leaving IU7 miles under road hoard control, and of tiiis only 60 miles were gravelled. Administration costs, plus small mileage to maintain, together with the fact that the County Council, with its up-to-date plant, could easily do this extra work while in the district and hardly notice any difference, was a big factor for the abolition of the board. “At the present tiling we get two rate notices,” lie said, “one from the hoard and one from the County Council, and the cost of double postage, double cheque duty and duplication of advertising and printing must amount to a large sum.” Speaking of road board roads in general in the district, he said that the opinion of ratepayers was to the effect that more often grading was required and loads would greatly benefit thereby. In this connection the Road Board was greatly handicapped, having to hire a man and tractor to draw their grader, which, with the man on the grader, meant the employment of two men, to the eounciPs one man operating 'the tractor grader. He further pointed out that under the council there was more chance of roads being classified, and thereby gaining the subsidy of 15s in every £1 of ratepayers’ money spent in the maintenance of, roads. Apart from this, there was a subsidy of £3 for £1 for the construction of central culverts on roads.