MAIN HIGHWAYS

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 January 1931, Page 7

MAIN HIGHWAYS

INCREASING COST OF UPKEEP

WAITOMO COUNTY’S RIFFI-

OULTIES

The question of main highways andj the petrol tax was briefly discussed at the Ju'ltham County to-day as the outcome of a, request from the Waitomo Council for support in their plea for relief from the ever increasing and, to their minds, unreasonable cost of the upkeep of highways. The Waitomo County Council in their circular letter stressed. the burden pressing on local bodies in the control of the highways. They suggested that the contribuftioii front their county should he suspended next year or they feared they would Ixi unable to meet the demands, made and urged that the matter should be brought before and discussed by the New Zealand Counties’ Association. They asked. Eltham to give them support in their problems. The main highways, they said, were made a first charge on the local bodies and the burden ahd( be.en and still was increasing, the cost to local holies having reached the sum of £376,000, a heavy increase on the previous year. Or'. McGuinness said he understood the farmers paid 60 per cent, of the petrol tax and if it were increased, they would still pay the same proportion.

The, chairman: The Government should he asked to take over the Waitomo county. Cr Carter isaid that the petrol tax, was instituted for the upkeep of roads' and if it were diverted it would be a wrong procedure. He referred to the question of derating of lands as discussed by the farmers’ conference and said he believed it would come into force later. He considered that users of the roads should pay and that many tourists were not paying their share of the cost of upkeep of roads. The chairman added'that apparently the more taxes that were levied the less the counties received in subsidies. Cr Messana: We must drive traffic On to the rail by some means or other. Cr J. L. Campbell : But they have raised railway freights and have pushed traffic on to the roads. Cr Messana : Take the railways out of the range of politics. said the chairman, “you get derating of lands, counties will lose control of the roads.” Tt was a creed to reply that the council could not -see its way to supnort the proposal.

GIRL’S DISAPPEARANCE

MONTHS OLD MYSTERY SOLVED

MURDER AND BURIAL IN PARK,

AN UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT

(United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) Received 2 p.m. to-day. LONDON, Jail. 0.

A 17-nionth-old systory, the disappearance of Winifred Parrant, aged 20 years, from her Berkshire home, had an unexpected development as the outcome of confidential information.

It transpires that she was murdered and huried in Windsor Park and a digging party has already discovered an attache case and a blue hat which have been identified by the girl’s sister.

The police are considerably hampered owing to the fact that the park is of over 2000 acres. It is stated, however. that a soldier mentioned in connection with the mystery may be able to indicate the spot.