NATIONAL PARK ROADS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 15 June 1935, Page 6

NATIONAL PARK ROADS

HIGHWAYS COUNCIL DISCUSSION QUESTION! OF TOLL CHARGE. The quostio.ni of having the roads leading to the accommodation houses at Eginoht National Park takeii over by the Main Highways Board came before the annual meeting of the No. 7 District Highways Council, at Stratford yesterday, the suggestion being made by Mr W. O. Weston (chairman of the Park Board). A member of the Highways Board who was present expressed personal sympathy with the proposal. Mr Weston stated that if the roads were taken over bv the Main Highways Board tliere shcdild be ho objection to abandoning the toll charges in respect of the roads, though each committee wonkl need to make a small charge for general purposes. The council recommended the Main Highways Board to take over park board roads as main highways and maintain them in tho event of 'Governmental assistance from any other source not being forthcoming. It was pointed out by Mi - T. R. Anderson (Stratfofd) that oh the heavy grades to the houses, the Government was probably taking enough in petrol tax to cover the upkeep of the roads. There were good roads to the three houses and maintenance would not bo 1 heavy. _ ... . If the board did hot take the roads ever, and he thought it should, it would, wish to bavo the road toll lifttod, as its policy was to make roads clear of tolls, said Mr W. Morrison, a member of the Main Highways Board, who was present. The chairman (Mr P. Keller), said that it was a misnomer to call the park a. national one when only people with money could afford to go into the reserve. The roads were not legalised as public roads and probably the Highways Board would expect that to be done. Mr J. B. Murdoch (Hawera) asked if similar tea nests woxild not be received from all over New Zealand, should .the Highways Board favour the proposal, with a resultant decrease in the amount available for ordinary roads. ... Mr E. Long (Waimato Most) said that everyone should be willing to pay the tolls in view of the roads provided. At the present time a portion of the revenue of the mountain committees was used for maintenance of buildings and preservation of the bush and if the Highways Board took over the roads, tolls would still have to he charged. • Tl . , The position was that if the Hignways Board took over the roads there would be no need to charge for use of the roads, stated Mr Andersen.