ROADS BILL PROTEST

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29016, 3 October 1959, Page 16

ROADS BILL PROTEST

Mr Watt Meets Counties (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 2. Proposals in the National Roads Amendment Bill were designed to place more power in the hands of local authorities, would in some cases place more money at their disposal where needed, and were intended to ensure that money set aside for roads was spent on roads, the Minister of Works (Mr Watt) told an emergency meeting today of the New Zealand Counties' Association. Before the Minister arrived, the 240 members present had endorsed by a sizeable majority the actions of their executive in attempting to have the bill either deferred for one year or sent back to the Government Bills Committee for further consideration.

“It has been said the bill will take away some of the power and authority of local bodies,” said Mr Watt. “I want to say that it will have the opposite effect.”

The Minister said the bill embodied principles decided on by a Royal Commission and generally agreed to by most authorities.

Members of the Roads Board, which included two members of the Counties’ Association, had all agreed that the basis of subsidies for road work should be reading expenditure, said Mr Watt. The second principle introduced by the bill was the twotier system of control of roads which had been a recommenda; tion of the Royal Commission. It had been recognised for some years that a change in the present subsidy system was needed, the Minister said.

Mr Watt said charges for reading work and need for this work differed greatly from one county to another. In some cases, because of difficult terrain and other factors, charges were almost 100 per cent, higher in some counties than in others. The bill would recognise this, he said. He gave an assurance that the representations made at both today’s meeting and previous meetings with the executive would be considered fully before the bill came before Parliament again. Amendments and alterations would undoubtedly be made before it finally became law.

The Minister said local authorities would not be embarrassed by subsidy charges. The bill would recognise that plans could be suddenly, terminated by changes in subsidies. Figures given by the Minister for , unnamed counties showed that some would receive up to an additional £6OOO under the new system proposed by the bill.

There were also special funds set aside for special needs such as the repair of flood damage. “The reduction in subsidies is therefore more apparent than real,” he said.