AUCKLAND'S ROAD NEEDS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 193, 15 August 1919, Page 5

AUCKLAND'S ROAD NEEDS.

TO PROVINCIAL TAPROOTS. CONSTRUCTION PROPOSALS. MEETING BEING HELD TO-NIGHT. The urgent need of a systematic policy of main road construction between ; Auckland and the country of which it is the distributing and commercial centre, will be considered at a meeting !of the Good Roads Association in the I Chamber of Commerce to-night. The president, Mr. M. H. Wynyard, will be iin the chair, and several resolutions [ dealing with both local and Dominion | phases of the country's road needs will |be submitted to the meeting. Among I the resolutions will be one dealing with tbe important subject of the main road !to the Waikato, and another relates to J the Northland highway. ! The following will be moved respecting 'the Rangiriri Hills Road:— j "That the Government be requested !to contribute £ for £ towards the construction of the Rangiriri Hills Road, and the local authority having control jof this unfinished portion of this highiway between Auckland and the Wai- ! kato be requested to apply under sec- | tions 109 and 119 of the Public Works •Act, 1908, for the apportionment of (a) the balance of the cost of construction, I and (b) of the future maintenance of j such road, and for the nomination of I the local authority to construct same, ; and that the various local bodies interested should be approached with a j view to contributing towards cost of i the preliminary plans, specifications, or j estimates required under the section." The resolution dealing with the Northland Road will be couched as follows: — "That with, regard to the main road from Auckland northward the counties concerned be approached to define the best route for a main road, and to concurrence in a scheme for completion of construction of same, providing for half contribution by the Crown and half by all local 'bodies benefiting, and for maintenance charges to be borne by local bodies benefiting, on lines similar to the foregoing resolution." A motion will also be submitted on the subject of a Dominion main road policy, as follows: —"That this meeting approves of the proposals of the Good Roads Asso- , ciation for a more co-ordinated system ot j administering and financing main road construction and maintenance in New • Zealand based broadly on the fines of • the Victorian Country Roads Board Act." Under the system followed in Victoria i j all main roads are under the adrninisfcra- • ' tion of a country roads board. This i hoard has the control of the construction , | moneys provided by the Crown, and allo--1 cates at the end of each year one-half of [! the construction and maintenance costs ; j against the local bodies benefited by the i I works done during that year. The local • I 'bodies' share of construction costs are i repayable in 31J years by annual payi ments of 6 per cent, to cover interest and I sinking fund. The board collects the i revenue from motor traffic and main . road sources, and this bears half the - cost of maintenance, the local bodies ! according to benefits received bearing the t other half. „ If these resolutions are, passed they .. will be forwarded to Wellington to ~ strengthen the hands of the Auckland j delegates at the conference of aR the ~ Dominion associations on September 4 t next - ________________