County Councils

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 199, 8 August 1923, Page 5

County Councils

Twelfth Conference MAIN HIGHWAYS ACT. THE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS. [Per Press Association.] Wellington. Auuust 8. Th© twelfth coni ere noe of tue Counties’ Association opened to-aay with the largest attendance on record. The president. Mr. A. E. Jull, in his opening address, referred specially to the question of main highways and the history of the legislation, which he regretted was rushed at tlfe end of the session. The Counties’ Association executive’s recommendation was accepted in regard to the appointment of a BoarcL Mr. Jull criticised the Highways Act on the ground of vagueness, which might be cleared up in practice. In'respect of the Board’s functions, the grouping of counties into highway districts. and the creation of Highway Council, the most important from the local authorities’ point of view, was the representation on tliese councils It was a difficult problem, as some diatricts comprised from ten to seventeen counties, with a disparity in size and valuation. Lottis for providing the various counties’ contributions to the capital cost of the u'ork should be raised by the Government It was desirable that a dear line should be followed in determining what were maintenance. The success of the Act depended largely on the working of the district Highway Councils which might bring about an amalgamation of many of the present counties. There was a general desire to throw more of the activities of the Act on the local authorities leaving the Highways Board to be a mope or less advisory body. Reluctance to shoulder the administration would result in the very centralisation which the Counties'" Association had always desired to avoid.

The Hon. R. F. Bollard. Minister of Internal Affairs, said the obstacle to merging counties would be removed by legislation, providing that there should be no decrease in Government subsidy io a district in consequence of merging as there would be if counties merged today. There would b© no compulsion to merge, but legislation would enable merging by voluntary agreeipent or bv the petition of one or more of the counties concerned A commission would inquire into th© proposal. Hon. J. G. Coates. Minister of Public Works, made a frank plea for greater co-operation between counties and the Department for the better organisation of constructive works and more ©xpedious allocation of public money, doing away with red tape as far as possible. Counties should appoint the most competent engineers and enable the Public Works engineers to devote themselves to more important work. Politics had nothing to do with the matter. Tile conference was most favourably impressed with this candid statement.