The Press THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1954. The Main Highways Board

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27307, 25 March 1954, Page 10

The Press THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1954. The Main Highways Board

The Main Highways Board has held ' its last meeting, and will shortly I cease to exist. It would be unfortunate if its great services to this country should be forgotten. The original Main Highways Act and its subsequent amendments should •always be remembered as one of the notable achievements of Mr Gordon | Coates, whose position in New Zealand history depends more, perhaps, lon his initiative as Minister of [Public Works than on his later [record as Prime Minister and i Minister of Finance. He had to over- [ come much opposition before he was [able to launch his highways schema I more than 30 years ago; but there must be few today who doubt its [benefits. In little more than a i generation it has provided a reading [network for motor traffic over all [thickly populated areas, by the [method of combining user payments,

local control, and national supervision. It is true that the neglect of the war years and the rapid growth of motor transport since have reduced the standard of some highways; but generally they are in an incomparably better state than the rough metalled roads in 1922, when Parliament finally agreed to the original act. It is a measure of the success of the system that it has been adopted in large part as the basis of the new national roading scheme, which, it is hoped, will do for city streets and rural roads what the main highways system did for arterial roads. Lessons learned by the Main Highways Board are to be applied to the new roading system, and some of the alterations, such as those assuring the income of the National Roads Board and providing for a simpler method of co-operation between the board and local authorities, are improvements. It is more doubtful whether the provision for paying subsidies on “rates collected” (which was rejected by Mr Coates) instead of on work done is an improvement. However, the original act was amended in the light of experience; and that may be done again.

When the Main Highways Board first began operations in 1924 there were 59,000 miles of road in New Zealand, of which, the Year Book noted, 23,000 miles were metalled. The proportion now discussed by roading authorities is the length that is sealed. In 1924 there was little dustless surface outside Taranaki, where toll-gates had provided the finance. Today more than 5000 miles of highway outside the larger boroughs are sealed. Of a total length of 55,000 miles of roads of all classes only 7000 miles are still unmetalled. The Main Highways Board has recently been responsible entirely for 5000 miles of State highway (rather more than half of. which is sealed), and has subsidised more than 7000 miles of main highway. The figures suggest that the help given to local authorities with their main roads has helped them indirectly to improve the county roads, on which, up till now, there has been no direct subsidy. To begin with, the board had some difficulty in getting South Island local authorities to take full advantage of its subsidies for road improvement. In the first year North Island counties received £186,000 in subsidies on construction and the South Island only £35,000, although in maintenance subsidies the South Island received £44,000 to the North Island’s £BO,OOO. Partly through greater enterprise by local authorities and partly through more generous subsidy conditions, the South Island has since been able to get a fairer proportion of highway expenditure. Highway expenditure from motor taxation has since grown to £8,000,000 a year. The National Roads Board will have a very much larger sum to spend in its attempt to bring ail roading to a reasonable standard. If it spends the money as well -as its predecessor did, the payers of motor taxation will get good value for their money.