Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUDY 29, 1935. ROAD BOARD ABOLITION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 244, 29 July 1935, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUDY 29, 1935. ROAD BOARD ABOLITION.

The movement for the abolition of the Coldstream Road Board and the inclusion of the district under the direct administration of the County Council is a step in the right direction, in conformity to the trend of modern local government policy. When the road board system was instituted immediate local control of roads was essential for the maintenance of services suitable to the requirements of the various districts. The methods of> and appliances for, construction were such that a mile of work could be done as cheaply, proportionately, as much longer lengths, while distances were so great that supervision from a central point was, if not impracticable, at least cumbersome and extremely expensive. To-day, with improved methods, of construction, work in the bulk is more economical than undertakings on a small scale, while the changed means of transport render it possible for long distances to be traversed in a working day. This change in conditions of transport also presents another argument in favour of County control. The wear and tear of motor traffic demands that construction be carried out m a manner that was not dreamt of a comparatively few years ago. This requires plant that is beyond the means of small local bodies only as a first cost, but also as an item of maintenance. According to the current issue of the New Zealand Local Authority Handbook, an official publication, the Coldstream Road Board during the year 1933-4 paid no less than £195 in administration — that is, practically office expenses — out of a total expenditure of £978, of which £769 was spent on construction and maintenance of roads. Thus twenty per cent., or one-fifth, of the revenue —nearly all raised by local taxation —went to defray the cost of a service that was not essential for the efficient supplying of the needs of the district. Supervision of the work undertaken by the Coldstream Board could be carried out by the County Council staff with practically no additional outlay. In fact, the central body has already taken over the greater part of the responsibility of the Board. It now controls the main roads, leaving 107 miles, of which only sixty are gravelled, under the jurisdiction of the Road Board. Another aspect is economy in the utilisation of the plant owned by the County Council. At present the crusher and graders travel past many side roads that need attention, merely to attend the long stretches of main roads that are like ribbons in the district. If all the roads were controlled by the County they could be attended to at the time when the plant was required for the highways. The ratepayers in both County and road district wou d thus be benefited, as the roads would be kept at a higher standard at a less cost than prevails even on Comity roads at the present time. Ihe promoters of the petition tor the abolition of the Coldstream Road Board are careful to explain that they have nothing but praise for the manner in which members or the Board and its staff have carried out the business of the district. Their attitude concerns the system alone. Ihe administration is not defectively controlled, but the system itself is uneconomical. Ihe trend of public opinion on this matter is shown by the fact that in Ashburton County four road districts have been abolished. An interesting point is that if two more are abolished the County Council will then have power to abolish the others by special order instead of acting on petition only, as is necessary at present.