HIGHWAYS CONTROL

Evening Star, Issue 19722, 24 November 1927, Page 9

HIGHWAYS CONTROL

MR J. R. MARKS’S IDEAS DISCUSSION BY DISTRICT COUNCIL It _ was suggested at yesterday’s meeting of the District _ Highways Council (No. 17) bv tho chairman (Mr J. R, Marks) that‘the Main Highways Board should take over the control of the highways and thus relieve tho county councils of all responsibilities other than financial. He explained the matter fully, saying that a certain percentage of the petrol tax had been put aside distinctly for improvements to the highways," and it was suggested now that there would be increased subsidies. To his mind, however, it seemed to go a, point beyond subsidies, and to make a success of the roads near the cities tho Highways Board might have to take then over on some arrangement with the counties, lie was making certain recommendations to tho board on this matter, and included in those recommendations was a suggestion to tako over the actual, highways from Palmerston to Milton, the lower road from Dunedin to PortobclJo, and the main Dunediu-Port Chalmers road. Arrangements would be entered into with the counties concerned that they should pay a certain sum per annum to the maintenance of those roads and to pay down a certain capital sum each for reconstruction if necessary, and thus remove the responsibility from tho counties. Those, briefly, were his ideas.

Mr H. M, Driver said.as long as tho contribution was not too high, it was all right. The scheme found favor with all flic members present. Mr Marks added that ho was trusting that it would be more favorable to all concerned. Say, Taieri, for instance were to put down £I,OOO a year for tho maintenance of tho South road. Well, Taieri could give tho Highways Board tho money. He understood that tho Taieri Council had agreed to a sum of £6,000 for general reconstruction. Under the new arrangement it could bo called upon for that sum when necessary, and that would relieve Taieri of tho responsibility, except for tho annual contribution. The Highways Board would then handle the money, doing what it thought best in tho interests of tho traffic. Mr Bennett remarked that the Christchurch people were looking for somo arrangement of tho same kind.

The Chairman said that he had made a calculation based on the Sau Francisco, voluntary contributions, and on that basis Dunedin would pay £5,000 a year. it had to be borno in mind, however, that tho cities of America had some sources of revenue that our cities were deprived of. New Zealand cities, for instance, had nothing from tho tyro tax, although they were going to get 8 per cent, of the petrol tax. That, however, was not much. Tint in America all vehicles in the cities were rated just tho same as rateable property, so it was a little hard to make _ comparisons. “If our city were getting a tax like that,” he said, “it would he disposed to spend money outside, but it seems to mo that it has a big enough burden of its own to look after, and it pays quite enough as it is.” Mr Driver said that the scheme seemed to be well worthy of consideration by the counties. The task of keeping up the roads on tho present rates and with the present amount of traffic was getting beyond the counties. “ 1 think if wo are going to tackle tho improvements the of this tax will expect to see something done quickly,” Mr Marks said. “ Now the risers have got to pay it is time to set the machinery in motion.” Mr H. Macandrow asked if the Highways ‘Hoard or the Public Works Department would take control, and the Chairman explained that tho Highways Board would take over tho responsibilities and hand the construction of the work to tho Public Works Department, There followed a discussion on the treatment of roads in tho meantime. Mr Marks said that tho_ best plan would be to get to work quickly in the meantime and shako fine gravel on the roads, and to follow it up with scarifying and reconstruction work, preparatory to paving with a gravel top lor the winter. ’ Thoy t wanted a good length of road in this district fixed up quickly, and it would be better to do that’than to have, say, a 10-milo stretch of perfected road.