The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 30, 1921. AN IMPRACTICABLE SOHEME.

Gisborne Times, Volume LV, Issue 6144, 30 July 1921, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 30, 1921. AN IMPRACTICABLE SOHEME.

The Government’s proposals with reference to the construction and maintenance of; all arterial roads require to he very closely examined and thoroughly discussed. It would appear that there is a danger of the main principle' involved being given but slender consideration, on account of the controversy that is certain to arise with reference to the methods that it is suggested should be adopted in order to secure moneys to carry out the scheme. In short, the position is tliis: the Government intends to solect a number of arterial roads

snd declare them national highways. The construction and upkeep of all such roads will be the duty of the State, which will levy special taxa-tion-—on vehicles and tyres— to provide; in. paj-t, the fund formed for the purpose of meeting the cost of the works undertaken. If the special board which, it is proposed, shall be established to control the scheme does not require the use of any plant or labor at the disposal of any local body concerned, it may do the whole of the work needed in any county without reference on any matter to the. local authority. We gather from comments on the scheme that, in some quarters, the plan that the State should be responsible for the construction and upkeep of 'all the arterial roads is considered splendid. It certainly sounds very plausible. But it has to be borne in mind that the Minister for Public Works has not, as yet, dared to publish a list of the roads which ho will recommend the Government to declare “national highways.” The whole scheme, it woidd seem, is impracticable. Not for a single moment do we believe that it has received attention on the part of its author or authors. The proposal that four-wheeled motor vehicles—no matter whether they be the heaviest type of motor lorry or the lightest type of motor car—should pay exactly the same ammint of special taxation is alone sufficient evidence that the scheme has not received deep and serious consideration. The great difficulty about the proposals is that most of the special taxation would bo raised in districts that already have fairly good arterial roads because, in those districts, vehicles are much more numerous than in districts ill-equipped with reasonably good highways. Such being the case, residents of wellroaded districts will, assuredly, kick against paying special taxation to provide the cost of constructing and maintaining roads in less favored districts. Another difficulty that will arise is that a majority of local bodies in this Dominion have gone to the expense of purchasing plant required especially for work on main roads. Is it reasonable, in face of that fact, that the Government should also obtain sets of plant for use in every district in this country? Then, again, every county possesses a highly-paid engineer, mainly because of the need for sound work on its main roads, and, if the Government steps in and does all the work neecssary on arterial roads in every district, it will lead to much economic waste on a account of overlapping. Candidly, this journal does not expect to see Parliament approve the of the scheme under which the Government may take the work in question out of the hands of the local bodies. We cannot help feeling that, if the scheme should be adopted, it will result in so much political wire-pulling that it will, sooner or later, break down and prove an awkward failure. If the 'Government is really sincere in its determination to assist local bodies which are without good arterial roads, it should adopt the principle of making larger free grants, especially to handicapped districts which contribute large quotas to the Consolidated Fund. Under any such scheme, the East Coast would, clearly, receive much more just treatment than it has ever been accorded in the past.