HIGHWAYS’ COUNCIL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 April 1925, Page 6

HIGHWAYS’ COUNCIL.

TARANAKI GROUP

MONTHLY MEETING

The monthly meeting of the No. 7 Highways Council was held at Stratford on" Thursday, when there were present: Mr T. M. Ball (chair), and Messrs W. C. Green (Egmont), C. JBelcher (Eltham), E. Long (\\ ami ate West), J. B. Murdoch (Hawera), A. Stewart (Inglewood), E. "Walter (Stratford), 11. H. Piggott (Clifton), J. S. Con nett (Taranaki) and N. 11. Cleland (AVhangamomona). LEVEL CROSSINGS.

The following communication was received from the Main Highways Board : •‘Throughout New Zealand are many railway level crossings which are Uancrerouß to road traffic. In most cases The elimination of these level crossings would be a costly proposition, but on the other hand some crossings could be eliminated by detours and bridges at reasonable cost. Motor traffic has increased until the time has arrived when many crossings should he dealt with at the earliest possible opportunity. \\ ill von therefore forward a schedule showing the position of all level crossings on the main highways within the highways district under your control. 5 ’ Mr Murdoch considered that it was the duty of the Kailway Department to carry out improvements at level crossings. Mr Piggott pointed out that it was the railway that endangered the road, and not the road that endangered the railway. , , , . The. chairman said that he had requested the various county engineers to supply the necessary data to enable returns to he sunplied, and the matter would come up for discussion at the next meeting. v „ questions of finance. In reply to Mr M alter, the chaiiman said that work remaining unfinished on March 31 would have to go on to the estimates for the next year. The unexpended balance would be carried torward to enable authorised work to be completed. It had to be clearly understood that the hoard did not wish estimates to exceed the amounts which local authorities were prepared to finance. All financial operations should he planned ahead. . Mr Murdoch said that local bodies made application for subsidy from the Highways Board on the assumption that they could raise their share of the money, hut very often the necessary finance was not raised by the local body. He thought that in such cases +he local bodies should be credited with the amount of the authorisations, so that the work could he gone on with immediately the financial position of the local body permitted. The chairman pointed out that it the local body could not get its part of the money the authority, of course, lapsed. The position, however, could always be reviewed again. If the local bodies could not get the money it showed that they were not doing a great deal to push on the work. Mr Green pointed out that on occasions the Advances Department authorised loans, and after ceitam amounts had been lifted the department found themselves short of money, and consequently operations were held chairman said it all went to show that local bodies must not make applications that they could not finance. Mr Connett, who is also a member of the Main Highways Board, said he thought that at the back of the Goveminent mind was the opinion that local bodies were borrowing too much, and in order to discourage that they were disinclined to make money cheaper. Continuing, Mr Connett said that the South Island counties had not yet made any demands on the Highways Board, with the result that the North Island got more than it was perhaps entitled to. However, if a local body did not make application, how was it to get its fair share of subsidy ? Altogether 93,000 vehicles had been registered, one-fifth of that number being motor cycles, but ' unfortunately the ■actual number of vehicles in the different highways districts had not yet been made available. If such figures were to come to hand the Taranaki Highways Council could make their position much more definite when it came to making recommendations for the declaration of main highways. It could be slated that Taranaki had so many registrations, and the highways district was therefore entitled to so much money. He had always .felt that Auckland was getting more money than it was entitled to. if each group were prepared to accept its share of the riighways revenue and make provision tor the expenditure of that revenue, then he was satisfied that Auckland would have lo accept less. In Auckland they were making concrete roads and hot-mix roads, and getting the regular percentage from the Main Highway's Board. Of course Auckland .was prepared to go on with its work, and as most others were not doing so to the same extent, Auckland was probably getting more than it was actually entitled to. About £500,000 had been collected by the Main Highways Board, and now that it was known just how tne money was coming in the board felt that they should contribute more than one-third towards highways maintenance. The board had adopted a cautious policy, but it now found, after a year’s experience, that it could be more liberal, and it was therefore asking for legislation to allow it to pay more than one-third maintenance. ■ Mr Murdoch said that Mr Connett had made it clear that certain districts were going to have their roads while others were not. It was those districts that were strong financially that were able to find the money on which the Highways Board subsidy was claimed, while on the other hand the districts financially weak could not afford to enlist the Highways Board’s assistance to the same extent. It was with the object of making good roads where the local authorities were not strong enough financially to do so that the Highways Board had been formed. He thought it should he made more public that the money was going to the districts where they had the finance. Mr Green contended that the revenue collected in each highways district should be allocated to the authorities within that district, together with a proportionate amount of the tyre tax. The discussion then dropped. COUNTY COUNCIL APPLICATIONS. The meeting then proceeded to discuss applications by certain of the county councils represented for the Highway Council’s sanction of additional roads to lie recommended for declaration as main highways. Mr Belcher deorecated the manner in which the Eltham County Council had been treated in connection with the Rawhitiroa road. The district highways council had agreed last year that eight miles of the road in question •should be included as a main highway, but the Dominion Board had excluded the road.

Messrs Murdoch and Long asked that the Skeet road, running through the Waimate West County and then continuing on as a boundary road between the Hawera and the Ell ham Counties, be included in the list of roads to be recommended for declaration. The road in question was 16 miles in length.

Ih reply to a. question, Mr Murdoch said that a good deal, of constructive work was contemplated on the road. Mr Walter: I ’Could you not postpone the work for a whiles'” Mr Murdoch: “If we do w e lose what we have got. 1 clou t believe 111 letting roads go.” Mr Long said that the inclusion ol the road would be a means of git ing his county some compensation for the <>’ood roads it had laid down. Mr Walter said he could not see that it was the duty of the District Council to see that AA ainiate AA est County got compensation for its good roads. , , ~ , The chairman agreed, stating that Waimate. had been favourably treated by Providence in that the land within the county was of good quality. He did not see how the road in question could be recommended for declaration in view of its proximity to two roads running parallel with it, and, further, he considered that the Main Highways Board had given AVaimate relief to the extent of £IOOO a year hv the abolition of the toll gates. Two other applications in respect ni which the councfl’s support was sought, concerned miles of the Junction road (Inglewood) from Kalina ta to T a rat a, and 4£ miles of the Tikarangi road (AA'aitara) from the Waitara borough to the Turangi road. . Mir Murdoch said that each highways group should have a responsible officer, who cqukl report to the Mam highways Board on the merits of the applications made. The chairman said he would give his opinion of the applications. He considered that the Kawhitiroa and Junction roads were of equal importance, but as far as the Tikorangi road was eonceriied, he thought that if it were a case for deliberation it should be deferred. Nevertheless, lie recognised that the Tikorangi road was an important one. Ilawliitiroa road should fee strongly recommended, in view cf the fact that the Board was in favour ol it being declared a main 'road a year ago. The roads to lie recommended tc the Main Highways Board would lie the Rawhitiroa, Junction and Tikorangi roads, as mentioned. Mr Connett said that the council s strong point in putting forward new roads for declaration would he thin contention that Taranaki was not getiting its fair share of highways money If that could b? substantiated it would be a strong point in favour of getting the roads declared. He mentioned that it was in the minds of the members of the Main Highways Board that the declared roads in ‘Taranaki were more numerous than in any other highway? district by reason of the impression naturally gained bv a glance at the highways map. GENERAL.

Mr Long moved a vote of thanks to Mr Connett for that gentleman’s efficient work on the Main Highways Board, especially his efforts in the direction of the abolition c) the tollgates. Mr Connett, he said, laid succeeded in wiping out a “relic of barbarism.”

The motion was seconded. Representatives of county councils chat had .recently controlled toll-gates, expressed their satisfaction at the abolition of the gates, but Mr W alter said he would not be a hypocrite. He was sorry the Stratford gate had gone.

The motion was then carried. Mr Belcher referred to a resolution .passed at the last meeting of the Highways Council, whereby the Main Highways Board was asked to make "bod its promise to recognise and contribute towards work done’ by the county councils before the end of June last year. The chairman explained that a considerable amount ol correspondence had massed on the subject, but he was not as yet in a position to say whether the promise would be redeemed or not. Mr Belcher said his council had done certain work on the Boylan road prior to the date mentioned. They had only put the work in hand on the. directpromise from Mr A. E. dull that it would be recognised by the board. They could easily have left this particular work until, later, and he considered some- recompense should be made.

The chairman : I certainly would not give up hope if I were you. On the motion of Mr Murdoch, it was decided to forward a recommendation to the Main Highways Board to consider the payment of local highways council officials out of highways funds.

Mr Stuart suggested that.the Main Highways Board might see fit to purliase certain machinery and allocate it to the local bodies to enable them to carry out their work. Mr Coo nett said the Board was not favourable to purchasing machinery, but would be prepared to assist local hadi.es to do so.-