TOLL-GATES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 24 March 1925, Page 5

TOLL-GATES

IN TARANAKI PROAHNOE

TO CLOSE ON A 1 ARCH 31

HIGHWAY BOARD’S TERMS.

(BV TEL EG HA PH PRESS ASSOCIATION WELLINGTON, March 23,

At the Highways Board, meeting to-, day, the principal question dealt with by the Board was that of the dosing of toll-gates in Taranaki. There has been considerable agitation for the closing of these gates, more particularly by motorists, since the passing of the Alotor Vehicles Act and the Public Works Amendment Act, 1924. The Board agreed to the request of counties having toll-gates to pay half the interest and sinking fund on loans raised for the purpose of improving roads affected by the gates, and* subject to Government ratification, the whole of the gates will be closed on March 31, 1925.

The Board has issued instructions to district highway councils for the preparation of annual estimates, and also for an annual review of the. main highways. The annual review will be made by the Board at the next meeting, which will be held on April 16, 1925.

OTHER BUSINESS DEALT WITH. A circular issued last month by. the Board to local authorities regarding liberty in. submitting claims for payment of the Board’s share of maintenance has had the result of an increase in the Board’s expenditure, but authorisations are still considerably in excess of disbursements, although an improvement is hopdd for by the end of the financial year. Representations from various sources have been made to the Board for an increase in the proportion of maintenance subsidy payable by it. The majority of requests have been made for payment of maintenance subsidies according to proportion of foreign traffic, but determining the amount of foreign traffic throughout the year is a most difficult matter, and in any case, the funds available to the Board would not meet payments on- this basis. The Board, however, is recommending to the Government an amendment to the Alain Highways Act giving it additional discretionary powers in this direction.