SUBSIDY ON HIGHWAYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 20 June 1928, Page 7

SUBSIDY ON HIGHWAYS.

EARLY CONSTRUCTION WORK. MOVE FOR RECOMPENSE. That it is only reasonable that the Main Highways Board should contribute something towards the cost of work on highways completed tea standard before the application of the present system of subsidy was the contention of the Levin Borough Council i nveyed in a letter considered at last evening’s meeting of the Hawera Borough Council. The Levin council’s letter said it appeared that some 19 boroughs in the North Island were going to he adversely affected by the . new policy, in that they had formed, all or part of their main highways in some permanent manner, and the council proposed that the boroughs affected shculd make a united endeavour to obtain some recompense for the work done.

“It is realised,” continued the letter. “that if the work has been done n-operly very little, if any, subsidy will he forthcoming for some years to come, and it appears that those progressive boroughs which have entered into the spirit of the main highways scheme and brought their roads up to a high standard out of their own finances have now to stand by and see neiglimuring boroughs collect a substantial subsidy from the Main Highways board, while the little recompense that •ve were receiving in the way of maintenance subsidy based on the expenditure on the adjoining county roads is out off. The boroughs stated to be affected were Birkenhead, Darinevirke, Eastbourne, Featherston, Feilding, Hawera, Inglewood, Levin, Morrinsville, Viarton, Newmarket, Northcote, Pukeohe, Otnhuhu, Rotorua, Stratford, Faumarunui. Te Aroha, and Waitara, Of. W. G. Strange considered the lim should .be to obtain an impnovenent in the existing roads by attendng to the flanking strips of the tarsealed portions, which, he urged, was too narrow in many places to allow onvenient passing by motor traffic. ‘The broken edges of the tar seal in ■Tinny places are a source of great inconvenience to motor traffic, and I vould sooner drive on the South Island roads with their wider metalled surface than on many of the comparatively narrow strips of our tar-seal,” he said. Or. W. G. Simpson agreed with the previous speaker that an improvement if the dire.tion indicated was desirable, but lie thought that the council should support any movement which might result in consideration being in on to areas placed in order prior to the advent of the present system of suhsidv.

On .his motion, seconded by the Mayor (Mr. E. A. Pacey) it was denied to support the movement prolosed bv the Levin Council.