MUST HAVE GOOD ROADS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 30 January 1926, Page 11

MUST HAVE GOOD ROADS.

Speaking in the South Island, Mr. I\V. Fmkert, of the Main Highways Board, who is now touring this Dominion, said in Christchurch recently that tlie counties should take advantage of the present healthy financial situation, and make any claims that they had to make while the time was opportune. ‘‘Speaking as a motorist myself, he said, “I can say that so long as the motorists receive good roads they will be satisfied, but they want the roads. I, the roads are not kept in first-class order, the motorists will want to know what the board is doing with their money. They will ask what they arc paving the tax for. ’ ’ Motorists, Mr. Furkert said, generally recognised that they saved much more by paving the tax and travelling on good roads than they would if they paid no tax and travelled on bad roads. “But,” he went on, “they want the good roads, or they are not going to pay the tax.” . “As you all know,” said Mr. 1. B. Wald io " (Government representative,,, “the motor taxation is producing large revenue. The proceeds from registrations this year arc greatly in excess of what we anticipated. About 100,000 cars were registered prior to March " 1 last. It was expected that this number would not be more than 75,000, so we did not expect that this number would be greatly increased during the following months. As a matter ot fact, the revenue that has come in since April 1 has been thousands in excess of what wo thought it would be.” The fund, he said, was in a healthy state at the present time, but owing to the recent increase that had. been made in the subsidy, the revenue would be encroached upon to a greater extent than had been provided for. Unlesthe* local bodies lot the board know what their liabilities were likely to be, there was going to lie trouble. Up to the present the expenditure on the mainl l nance of highways had not come ap to the amount that had been anticipated for the current year. The counties should rend in their claims if they required work to be done. If they did not, it was hardly fair that they should turn round and ask, “What is the Highways Board doing?”