MAIN ROADS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18127, 17 July 1924, Page 12

MAIN ROADS.

MOTOR COMPETITION WITH RAILWAYS.

BILL READY FOR PARLIAMENT.

(sjxciiii to "rxa miss. ')

WELLINGTON, July 16,

At an Qtago deputation to the Minister of Works to-day the question of wain highways and motor competition with the railways cropped up. Mr Edie, the member for Clutba, spoke in favour of making roads to settlers, instead of spending so much money on main highways.

The Hon, J. G. Coates said the cost to the ratepayers would be less thau at present. Mr Edie said the Board might insist on new work.

Mr Coates: Not unless the ratepayers wanted it.

Mr Edie: I would not trust them as far as I could swing them. Mr Coates: At present the roads you mention are being maintained by the! peoplo out of the rates. They will now be relieved of some of that expenditure.

Mr Edie: What about the fellow who has no road at all? That's the fellow I'm after, Mr Coates: If we relieve the local bodies of some maintenance it will mean more money for the roads you speak of. Mr Edie said they should make road? from the railways to the backblocks, not alongside the railways, to compete with them,

Mr Coates: If you ask the users of such roads to maintain them, then none can complain.

Mr Edie: It is tho big motor-lorries that are the trouble.

Mr Coates: We can make them pay.

Mr Edie: You can't do it.

Mr Coatea: It has ben don® in other places, and I think it can be done hete. There is no doubt a good deal in what you say about lateral roads. Many of those, however, are included in the highways scheme. Mr fcidey asked if the Highways was getting to work. Mr Oooter replied in the affirmative. Us said the main highways had already been gazetted. Mr Sidey asked if further legislation would be required for finance, Mr Coatea said it would. Technically, the* Act, as it st6od at present, did not comply with the requirements of the Auditor-General in regard to finance. North Wand Routes JWected. Mr Furkert, Engineer-in-Chief, said the position was that local bodies had power to spend money, but not power to raise loans, Mr Co .tes said that as far as Otago and the South Island generally were concerned, yery little had been done in regard to main highways. Whereas the North Island had gone ahead, and had got its proposals ready, the South Island, apparently, had made no effort. The question was whether thf Highways Boards should definitely decide 'upon a programme for one part of New Zealand before it had the other before it. The chairman had taken up the attitude that it would bo far bettor to have the South Island recommenda tiona before thejn at the same time ? go that they might have an even start. In tho North Island the routes select, ed were mainly Jntqjal roads. Farther north, except in. Taranaki, they were practically all lateral roads, and in tiie South Island, on the West Coa3t and in Marlborough, that also applied. When they came to Canterbury there had to be provision for the road runr ning. alongside the railway which was used by vehicles that wore in competition with the railways. These vehicles had not paid their proper quota to tho maintenance of the road, but a Bill would be introduced this session to deal with the matter, and the local bodies would get some assistance. The idea of tho Bill was to even up tho anomaly. Tho Government had very important proposals to submit in re* gard to this competition for traffic, They were going out to meet it, and to take it away from the motors. (Boar, hear.) It was a difficult mat. ter to deal with, beeause there wore so many different ideas. However, th>3 Bill was drafted, and wa° now ready to be submitted tp Parliament. He hope 3 to introduce it very soon. Cabinet had come to a decision.*