INCREASED FEES?

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 127, 2 June 1927, Page 10

INCREASED FEES?

FOR HUTT ROAD WORK

MOTOEISTS WILL OBJECT

"HIGHWAYS BOARD HOODWINKED"

Motorists within the districts concerned in the City and Suburban Highways scheme will object most strongly to an increase on Hutt road fees, said Mr. S. G. Nathan, the motorists' representative upon the local Highways Board, to a "Post" reporter today, with reference to Mr H. D. Bennett's further statement i:'.i regard to the finances of the board and the proposed additional loan cf £100,000. "The whole board was hoodwinked by Mr. Bennett's statement as to finances and his assurance that there would still be a surplus," said Mr. Nathan. "I suggested at the time that the members were being asked to sign a blank cheque. The Mayor was also apparently misinformed and took Mr. Bennett's figures as correct, and it was only when the matter was pressed and Mr. Bennett was asked for a definite assurance that there would be no further taxation in the event of the raising of the additional £100,000 that he admitted a doubt as to whether he had worked out his interest and sinking fund charges on £200,000 or £300,000. Mr. Bennett simply plunged in the dark and the board plunged with him. Actually the board is not tied to anything; the decision was arrived at merely to enable steps to be taken to seek authority to raise this further loan of £100,000." GOVERNMENT'S PROMISE. Apart from the objection which would come from motorists —and would be bound to come—against any proposal to increase the amount of* the Hutt road tax, continued Mr. Nathan, they had been given a definite promise from the Government, when the scheme was first mentioned, that they would not later be asked to pay any further special local taxation. That identical point had also been made by Mr. W. T. Strand, who had been the prirno mover in the scheme, though neither then nor since had he been given anything like the credit that was due to him. To Mr. Strand's foresightedness and his energy and courage in pushing the scheme ahead Wellington motorists and the local bodies of the district owed a very great deal. LOCAL BODIES ALSO GAIN. i "Though, speaking as the motorists' representative upon the board, I say that motorists will refuse to pay an additional amount," continued Mr. Nathan, "I do not for a moment say that motorists do not Tecognise that they have not received good moneys worth, but, on the other hand, local bodies have also received very good moneys worth from motorists' fees. And not alono from Hutt road fees, but from heavy traffic and other license and special fees, which, in the aggregate amount to a huge sum of money, but are seldom mentioned by tho authorities. One of the smaller bodies is saving easily £1000 on road expenditure, and the larger bodies must be saving in proportion. Could the road to Eastbourne have been kept in order by the Hutt County but for fees received? Tho motorist gets the benefit, but so do the local bodies, and for my part I strongly object to pushing the burden off on to the other fellow. "When one comes to look back over tho progress of tho paving scheme one must admit that the man who pays his feo has been pretty decent about it. In tho first place he agreed to pay his 30s for the paving of five miles of road between Wellington and Petone. That was a success, and ho agreed that the paving should be continued, his annual payments also continuing. If the pavement had not been carried beyond the original five miles tho whole coat would have been wiped off in a very few years, but now tho fees must be paid over for a good many years to come. We arc not complaining of this, but we do wish to emphasiso the fact that local bodies aro beinij saved a tremendoiiß amount of money which must have been expended had tho schemo not been carried further than as first planned. We maintain thnt wo are paying a very fair share already, and we are going to protest very forcibly if this suggestion of increased fees is pressed." HUTT ROAD WIDE ENOUGH. Mr. Nathan docs not think that there is any real need to widen tho Hutt road from 24 to 40 feet at tho present time, for tho present is not any time for luxuries, and, from tho particular view of motorists, it would be very much preferable to lengthen pavements than to widen the Hutt road bitumen track. "If it can be definitely proved that a saving in maintenance can bo brought about a different aspect is given, but I am far from convinced that this will bo so. The report of tho City Engineer was to the effect that something liko £950 is spent annually in keeping tho 'shoulders' of the bitumen in good trim, which amount, capitalised, would mean something liko £15,000. His estimate of tho cost of widening the pavement by 16 feet was £25,000, £10,000 above the £15,000. Even with the widening there would still bo a certain amount of maintenance of macadam haunches and shoulders, say^ half the present cost, £500. Tho 'saving,' as I see it, would work out, then, at between £1000 and £1500 additional outgoing per annum. It does not appeal to me. "A good deal has been made of accidents on tho Hutt road, but as a matter of fact, this road, considering the immense amount of traffic which runs over it, is remarkably free of accidents. I doubt whether there is one accident to every 50,000 cars which make this run, thanks very largely to the good work of the patrolman."

Another point made by Mr. Nathan, though not bearing directly on tho question at issue, was that a considerable number of motorists who never saw the Hutt road or other city and suburban paved roads, were called upon to pay their fees, whereas others, running over the roads regularly, paid not a penny of the special tax. In his opinion, owners of motor vehicles living in the Hutt County to the north of Paekakariki should not be so taxed, but cars running to tho city from the Wairarapa should certainly bear their share of the motorists' payment.