" THE CLOVEN HOOF "

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1913, Page 7

" THE CLOVEN HOOF "

LIFE-BLOOD OF ROADWAYS EVIL OP POLITICAL LOG-ROLLING PROPOSAL TO SET UP AN INDEPENDENT BOARD. "Governments don't move as a general rule on principle. They move became there is o. Remand—that is a demand which is insistent and emphatic— and if it is just that is an additional reason., In this case we have all these factors, find there should be no difficulty in persuading the Government to give effect to our proposal." With those wordg the president (Mr. A. E. Jull) moved the adoption of on important recommendation at the Counties' Association Conference to-day, which was tabled by ft special committee set up to consider the question of Biibsidy on rates. The recommendation was : "That as in the opinion of your committee the principle of subsidy, from the State towards the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges is a sound one, we recommend that there *be paid to nil county councils a uniform subsidy at 5b in the £1 on all general rates collected up to the prescribed maximum as defined in section 117 <of the Counties Act, 1908." The president then went on to apggfcl for a consistent and emphatic vote. The proposal was perfectly justifiable aad argueable from every point of view. Th.o counties of New Zealand received £680,000 to £600,000 in rates, and t&e proposed subsidy of 6s in the dDI would produce £150,000. Last year ihe county councils received a> total of £82,000, and the road boards £i?, 060 in subsidies. Mr. Q. V. Pearce, M.P., ajeo warmJy commended the proposal to the . conference, which waa carried unanimously] amidst acclamation. TO SUCCOUR THE NEEDY. Dealing with the question of gmnttr ih aid, the committee recommended— That for the purpose of distributing grants in aid a board ba set up lor the purpose of dividing the whole of < the Dominion from time to time into the following districts: (a) Dist-rjcta, (which may .be called back district*) on account of the large amount of hew settlement gojng on in them, co that the reading of such districts should receive grants in a4d; (b) d>fcricta (settled districts) where the work of the local body is mainly the maint«a» ance of the roads, and which therefore should not receive grants in aid. Bach, district may be whole or portion of tjie area under the local body governing the district. When such dutnete have, been declared the board shall have Allocated \6 it the «urn of ' money which Parliament annually votes for? the purpose of assisting in making the roads of such back country districts. The board having given consideration) (1) to the prevent «»mdition of 4ha roads, (2) thp number of nettlpra requiring access, (3) the quality of tho land, (4) the difficulty of formation, and cost of completion of »uch roads required, and (5) the present facilities of access, shall allocate such sums as the board thinks At, of thp sum at their disposal to such kK»I body under whose jurisdiction the distinct is, fo» the purpose of expenditure on »nchi roads as are set out in the allocation. | In moving the adoption of the recomm endation, the president said the credit for drafting it belonged in the main to Mr. J. (i. Wilson (Bulls). The committee, he said, was quite sensible to the fact that it was a very thorny subject. There were certain districts which would be quite agreeable to the abolition of the whole system of grants in aid. As against this view, however, there were many districts in the Dominion which must receive material assistance from the Crowtt for the purpose of developing areas of country. Failing Government aid, net*, tlement would oe delayed for many, many years. While many districts wora starving for the life-blood of roadways, the committee was alive to the fact thai) at the very start very large areas in j the Dominion must be excluded from* participation in the grants in aid. The proposal found a warm supporter in Mr. Pearre, M.P. As a member of Parliament he would be quit* willing to get rid of the trying obligation of being pressed for grants. The "scrapping the old system would be better for us and better for the country." H« quite recognised, however, that tWa would be a loud howl from those districts which would be excluded from E&rtieipating in the grants, but it would c a relief from the present «nsatintac- ■ tory system. "INHERENT VICIOUSNESB." Mr. H. J, Middleton (Waimah&k*) 1 congratulated the framer &nd the moveP on their clever attempt to hide ih.9 cloven hoof of political pull. At the beat, however, it was only an attempt. "The thherent viciousness of this system v ao bad, ' he declared, "that any attempt lo remodel it must end ih failure. You 1 cannot get away from the political pull."' On this account he opposed the proposal. As an alternative he considered that the Government should step in and' road the undeveloped portion* of the country, instead of giving political patronage in the shape of grants. Local bodies admitted that there most' always be a certain amount of political control, contended Mr. J. B. Gow (Opo» tiki), but tiie motion sought to eliminate much of this and make it ft sane and proper control, with efficient safeguards. Mr. F. T. Moore (Makara) thoughthe recommendation of the committee wa-s a capital one. He appealed to the conference to consider it from a national standpoint In the face of the observation of the Hon. H. D. Bell the previou* day, that he was waiting for a lead from the conference in the matter, the Government would not fail to carry it intoeffect. (Hear, hear.) As an instance of the necessity forth* i change, a speaker eaid that his county received £88.000 in rates, ahd all of itkr was taken up in maintenance. Mr. J. Bailey (Waikato) endorsed Mr. Middleton's opposition, declaring that it would be impossible to get a board' that would be free from political influence. MINISTER'S UNENVIABLE TSOLALATION. In. hto wmly, th« President said that Mee*». Middleton and Bailey admitted that the present aystem wa* "rotten," but instead of offering a remedy they, counselled "ft stay -where-yott-we" policy. the Minister of Public Works Ho stand up agaimt the whol* House. When ib came to granfe "every man 1 * hwid was Rgainßt him— that of friend and foe alike. The other objection* offered were really committee objections, not coming within the scope of the conference, which only uought to affirm the principle. The conference \m making sound suggestion*, ftnd if the present Government could not . evolve a -workable ayetem out of these, they nfight be able t6 succeed in getting someone elfte to do it. The recommendation wa» carried on H» voices, only two "noga" being heard to oppooitipn^