THE HIGHWAYS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19312, 17 May 1928, Page 8

THE HIGHWAYS.

MUCH MONEY SPENT. WORK OF THE BOARD. (FBIS3 ASSOCIATION TSLEO&Ut.) PAPAROA, May 16. How the State is assisting in improving the Dominion 'a roading systems was mentioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Coates, at Paparoa to-night, when he quoted figures conveying the operations of the past few years. Mr Coates said that in less than four years the Main Highways Board had assisted in the construction of 450 miles of metalled roads, 240 miles of tar and bituminous surfaced roads, 27 miles of concrete roads, and over four miles of bridges. Expenditure during the same period, including the amount estimated for 1927-28, was nearly 3J millions sterling, maintenance taking £1,442,000, and construction £1,784,000. In addition the local authorities had found £870,000 for maintenance and £725,000 for construction, making a total of £2,330,000 spent on maintenance, and £2,500,000 on construction on the 6400 miles of main highways. The grand total of expenditure had been, therefore, £4,800,000, or about £1,250,000 a year. Highways work could be considerably accelerated by the petrol tax, Mr Coates continued. It was anticipated that the Highways Board would spend between £BOO,OOO and £900,000 this year oil the maintenance of the primary and subsidiary main highways, and also a similar amount on construction work. Recommendations were also being made for the addition of a further 800 miles to the 2750 miles of subsidiary roads, which had been declared main highways. The Prime Minister mentioned that main roads through 1 all boroughs having less than 6000 inhabitants had been declared to be main highways, so that from now on 10,000 miles of the country's roading system had been brought under the benefits of the Board's operations. Nevertheless, there, were rtill about 35,000 miles of road which had to be maintained by the general taxpayer and counties, without assistance from the motorists.

The Prime Minister said that the petrol tax would also enable the Board to give better subsidies to counties adjacent to laTge centres of population, which suffered from heavy motor traffic. The Board had already approved subsidies of £3 per £1 for construction of high class surfacing in the vicinity of Christchurch, Wanganui, Nelson, and Hastings. Other schemes for improving the of the Dominion were in process of development, and the Board was taking the initiative in the preparation of such schemes in districts, immediately surrounding all centres of over 6000 inhabitants.

Mr Coates added that during the past four years the net expenditure by the Government on the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, other than main highways, had been £2,693,280. Of this amount no less than £2,466,602 had been spent on construction.