MAIN ROADS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 March 1926, Page 8

MAIN ROADS.

AUSTRALIAN SCHEME

A FEDERAL GRANT. £20,(100,0UT TO BEi SPENT. In every young country like Australia or New Zealand the problem of providing the means of transport is one of the greatest awaiting solution. With the universal use of the motor vehicle the problem of roads has become the keenest of the larger problem of transport. Where, 40 or 50 yeans ago, any sort of track was good enough for horse-drawn vehicles, the motor to-day can only be harnessed economically for the use of man if the roads it travels are good. New Zealand, smaller in area than this country, can think of its own experiences with roads, especially main traffic arteries, and then realise that the problem in the large areas of Australia is one that must occupy the best legislative, administrative, and engineering brains.in the country before it can be solved.

For the purpose of forming a national roads policy, ia conference was recently held between representatives of the Federal) Government and the various State Governments. 'The Bruce-Page Government has continually shown that it recognises the importance of good roads. The main purpose of the conference was to .settle the terms on which £20,000.000, to be made available over a 10 yeans’ period by the Commonwealth Government, should bo paid to the States. Allocation of the money to the States will be made on the basis of three-fifths according to size. Under this agreement, New South Wales will receive £552,000 annually, Victoria £360,000, Queensland 376,000, South Australia £228,000, Western Australia £384,000, and Tasmania. £IOO,OOO. Each State will subsidise these amounts £1 for £l. O'f the Commonwealth’s annual 'share, £500,000 will come from existing revenue sources, and the remaining £1,500,000 from new sources. The Commonwealth money and the State subsidies will be spent only on the construction and reconstruction of roads to be designated “Federal aid roads.” The classes of roads covered by the plan will be main roads opening up and developing new country, trunk roads between important towns, and arterial roadt carrying concentrated traffic from developmental, main trunk, or other roads. A Federal Aid Roads Board is to be created, comprising the Federal Minister for Works and Railways and a Minister from each of the States. Meeting at least once a year, this board will approve State constructional schemes over two five-year periods. The Federal Minister for Works will have the final word in approving or rejecting any State’s general plan of construction. r Phe various) State constructing authorities will be responsible for the work, which will be done mostly by contract. The maintenance of the roads will he the responsibility of the States, but as practically all the States now have maiu road boards, this should be a task easy of fulfilment. If this maintenance is neglected, the Commonwealth may do the work and deduct the cost from the grants due to the State in question for the next year.

Most of the States have an inkling that there ig some “catch” in the financial part of the proposals, hut probably any doubts on this point ■will be overcome. The whole proposals will be the subject of an agreement between the Commonweath and State Governments, to be ratified by the Parliament? concerned. The point that is most’ disturbing the public mind is from which direction the Commonwealth Government is going to obtain the £1,500,000 which must be raised each year from “new sources of revenue.” According to every indication, this will com© from a tax on petrol. 'That, in turn, means dearer petrol. Since a large proportion of Australia’s adult population is concerned with motor transport, either for commerce or pleasure, a tax on petrol is sure to be the subject of continent-wide protests. Thus a conference of the Royal Automobile dub of Victoria, sitting at the same time as the then conference, decided to oppose any further burdens being placed on motorists unless all other road users contribute in proportion to the use of the highways. The conference also decided that in the event of the Federal Government deciding to institute further taxation for road, purposes, an equivalent reduction should be made by the State Governments in the amounts already levied on motorists, such reduction to be made up by the States by taxing other road users .at present untaxed. \