THE GREY RIVER ARGUS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1925. HIGHWAYS MAINTENANCE.

Grey River Argus, 22 April 1925, Page 4

THE GREY RIVER ARGUS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1925. HIGHWAYS MAINTENANCE.

It was an important and indeed urgent decision which was taken last week by the Main Highways Board at Wellington specially to consider the needs of boroughs in the- matter of loading. The Board decided to place I boroughs of a population of 6000 and I undor on the same basis as counties, as far as maintenance of main highways within their boundaries is concerned. The Board points out that it is the heavy motor vehicles, not the light cars, that determine the standard 1 of roads required, for the former rei quire the solid foundation or monolyj thfic structure which djetermines the cost of reading. Tn cities and. larger I boroughs the normal traffic, requires a I higher standard by reason of the den- ! ser population and the concentration of j heavy traffic, and the higher valuations give a higher revenue than in the coun--1 try districts for road construction to meet this internal demand. The heavy traffic from such municipalities also extensively uses the main traffic, roads of the adjacent counties. It is a universal complaint that long - distance traction, rendered, possible by the increase of motor vehicles, is throwing ion the counties’ roads a foreign traffic i (including heavy vehicles travelling between the business centres) which is I beyond the normal requirements of the country ratepayers. For instance, a Southland public man at the head of the Farmers’ Union, referring to flat Tates on motors, declared the other day that the farmer would soon bp paying 85 per cent of the taxes for the upkeep of the roads. “The Minister will I

have to watch this,*’ he said, ‘’and try to get the flat tax abolished and the tyre tax substituted. Then those who use the roads will pay a larger amount towards their upkeep.” Tt is pointed out under our new highways system, the revenues to be derived by local bodies from fees under the legislation is certain to he many times greater than they have ever been before. The following assumption, for the purpose of considering this phase, is considered to he a reasonable one:— £ 120,000 drivers at 5s . . 30,000 10.000 lorries at. say. £lB 180,000 Total £210,000 This is to be compared with the £45,011 which was the total of the revenue of all local bodies in New Zealand from vehicles and drivers’ licenses during the year ending March 31, 1924. Boroughs will secure a substantial portion of the motor-lorry licenses under any system based on the use of the roads by such lorries. They will, there 1 fore, derive a much greater revenue from motor traffic in that direction than in the past. The mileage affected in boroughs of loss than 6000 population totalled 180 miles approximately, and for the purpose of arriving at a recommendation as io the probable cost to the Main Highways Board of recognising claims in all cases from boroughs of less than 6000 in population, and allowing that the maintenance outside the boroughs is costing about £l5O per mil© over all, the contribution by the Alain Highways Board based on the present subsidy of £1 for £2 would be in the vicinity of £9OOO. As the Board, however, has refused so far to do anything for boroughs just over the G0 n 0 limit, it must be recognised this question has still to be faced. On the Const the mileage affected by this new departure is as follows: Westport borough,

2 miles 38 chains. Brurrtier, 4 miles 32 chains, Hokitika, 1 mile 48 chains, Kumnra 1 mile, Ross 2 miles 24 chains, Runanga nil. The borough of Greymouth is excluded from consideration under this rule, but cases of its class have yet to be dealt with. To the boroughs of less than 6000 it has been decided that the Highways Board shall on application of such borough, contribute to the borough council an amount computed at a rate per mile of the length of eontinuation of the main high ways through such borough equal to the amount per mile paid by the Board in

respect of th*' main 4 onanet* ”> , < l • ■ of the adjoining main highway of which the continuation passes through such borough provided that: (a) The

borough has maintained its uoni iii’mii'-o of such main highway in a. manner satisfactory to the Board: (b) The length of adjoining highway on which the contribution shall be based shall be three miles from the boundary of the borough; (e) That in the event of the main highway being a Goverurne.nl road, the board will not pay more thin the amount which would have been payable had it. been an ordinary main highway; and (d) The Board’s decision as to what street or streets are included in a continuation of adjoining main highway shall bo final. The assistance, it will bo noted, is limited to maintenance, and does not apply to construction.