MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 June 1924, Page 7

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD. POSITION OF LOCAL BODIES. FRESH LEGISLATION NECESSARY. County councils in all parts of the Dominion are now giving earnest attention to the question <jf main highways, and it has become clear that quite a number of amendments in the Act will require to be made at an early period of the session to enable councils tO' proceed with the main road work in their districts next summer. It has been found that legislation will have to be passed with regard to the- raising of county loans or a general loan by the Government. A uniform set of by-laws lor all main roads must be drawn up, giving authority, amongst other things, for the regulation of traffic, weight of vehicles, etc. Numerous legal points have arisen in regard to various question relating to the powers of the Main Highways Board' and of the local bodies, and \h.ese problems will have to lie settled by' legislation. An explanation of the powers and proposed operations of the Highways Board has been given by Mr M. H. ' IVynyard, Auckland, who is a member of the Main Highways Board. In the course of an address delivered at Hamilton on Thursday last, Mr Wynyard said there was a lot of misapprehension as to the work and objects of the Board, and of its powers The original intention of the Minister was to define certain main arterial roads through both Islands, with a view to the Government constructing and maintaining these as a relief to public bodies through whose districts the roads passed. Objections were raised by some local bodies to this proposal, and finally the whole question was discussed by a conference of local bodies and other interests in Wellington, and the present Act was the outcome. One of the first principles of the Act was to extend the length of road at first proposed to deal with from 1250(1 to 0000 miles. A working partnership was provided lor under the Act, for while control of the roads would be largely vested in the local bodies, the Government would subsidise the cost of the construction to the .extent of 50 per cent., and would pay one third of the cost of maintenance. In certain cases where a road was unmetalled and in the peculiar position of being through poor country, where the rates would fall unduly heavy on the local body, the Government would gazette this as a (lovornment road, and bear the bulk of the cost of construction and maintenance. The board bad ( no power of initiation. Any initiation must come from the local bodies themselves. Up to the present time quite a number of proposals had come in, and it was desirable that all proposals should be put in as early as possible, so as to enable the Board to make up its estimates. At the present time the board's iinance was derived front the tire tax first imposed in 1922. the amount yielded from which, was £230,00(1. The Government would find each year at least £200.000 for construction work, and £35,000 for maintenance. It was almost a certainty, said the speaker, that this amount would be increased, as the length of the road originally intended > to lie dealt with bad" been extended. . ! The extra amount provided by the board ' was expected to lie provided by the

Motor Vehicles Bill. Particular provi- j sions of that Bill were the imposition of a license fee on all motor vehicles. The amount would probably be £2 a year registration fee *>n ordinary motor cars. According to the Bill, the tax would be spent in eaeff Island according to the number of vehicles in use there. The speaker considered there were nearly twice as many motor-cars in the North as in In addition to the £2 per ear, there would be an annual license fee of os per year for drivers, /this would be retained by the local "body. At present local bodies received only 10s vehicle license lee, which lasted for aIL time, • ■. \ Pending the passing of the Bill, the Board required some assurance that it would lie provided with sufficient funds, and had had that assurance from the. Premier. They felt satisfied, whether the present Government was in power or not, that there was such a strong feeling in favour of giving assistance to the Board that no Government would refuse it adequate lands. The Board had authority to borrow £3,000,000 on security of the tire tax. R was proposed to borrow this in sums of £300,000 a year. Local bodies were expected to send their requirements to their own District Highways Council, and if approved these would be sent on to. the Board. When they had had their preliminary applications approved they could then make their applicatibiis to the ratepayers for authority to proceed . A suggestion had been made that the Government should provide a special fund from which money for the local body requirements for main highways couid be obtained. The construction money which the .Board would have to work upon would be about £750,000 a year, made up of £300.000 borrowed, £250,000 from local bodies, and atleast £200.000 from the Government. The Board hail arranged that the Government laboratory would test bitumen and give expert advice on iroad metal to local, bodies. It would also issue certificates to foremen who had had lengthy experience of high-class road work. The Board was also providing a set of skeleton plans and specifications for local bodies to work to. Another point of vital interest was the regulation and .licensing of heavy traffic. At present the position regarding tins was chaotic. It* was in the interests of transport and the local bodies that this should be altered, and the Board had initiated a scheme for overcoming the difficulty which it was proposed to recommend for legislation. All roads would he classified into one of four grades—(a) for heavy traffic; (b) a second classification to carry up to a certain weight ; (c) would i>e a thirdclass road; and (d) the ordinary farmer’s road. Fees would be charged vehicles according to weight and the licenses would have currency over the whole, of a highways district, and at the end of each year tlie money collected by the local bodies of the specified districts would be pooled and divided. ft was proposed that a simple pen carbon record should be kept by all heavy motor owners, and supplied to local bodies monthly. License fees would vary from about £SO to about £lO per year, with a certain deduction where nneuiuatic tires were used. Special permits would be allowed for special "heavy carting of wool, manures, elc. The idea was not to allow traffic on a road with a load which the .road w;i' nor lit to bonv.

One county had recently taken exception to the proposals of the Motor Vehicles Bill, on the grounds that while the rural motor owner did not use the

main higliwaj’S so greatly as the tow n dweller, yet the country owner ,w;ould be required to pay the same annual tax, while the country dweller had to pay for the roads for the town dweller’s use. The county had called a meeting of county representatives in Hamilton to protest against the provisions of the Bill- It must not he forgotten, however, stud the speaker, that the country dweller used the tow n roads free. It was never intended that the Board’s Operations should he applied to borough roads, so that the expenditure of the license fees by the Board would he on country roads, although the town dwellers would have to nay a large portion of the cost. Jt it were not for the heavy traffic? the cost of the roads could be kept down to half. All licenses dor heavy traitic and for vehicles plying for hire were under the Bill revenue for the local bodies, and not for the Mam Highway Board. The completion of the main bighwavs scheme was going to reduce freights to country districts, another noint winch must not he forgotten. The money spent on the main highways would relieve the county funds. ‘ On the whole he was certain the balance was in favour of the country settler.