The Star. Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake. Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea. Waverley. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1919. THE ROADING QUESTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVIII, Issue LXXVIII, 24 July 1919, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake. Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea. Waverley. THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1919. THE ROADING QUESTION.

* The reading question is one cf those tnatters cf practical'importance which ■touch very closely the'life and business and prospects of the country population, and especially i;.v.»e engaged in rural industry, and therefore it is almost continuously under debate. Local governing bodies in New Zealand have nearly always found it difficult to make ends meet, and experience has shown that unless at the outset of the settlement of a district substantial provision has been made for road construction as a capital expenditure, the local governing body^can never be in a satisfactory financial condition. Thi s has been the general experience wi>th ordinary metalled roads, and there are lew districts indeed, particularly in the North Island, settlement here having been rapid and often ahead of proper road-making, wherein local body finance has been easy. But great as tie old-time difficulties have heen, they have been eclipsed' by those which now have to be faced owing to the development of motor traffic, a •traffic which is most 'wearing to the ordinary metalled road, and, moreover, ifor the economy and comfort of motor travelling and traction requires a road system much more expensive to make if not to maintain than the metalled road of /past times. The new necessities and'the new demands have created qui£e a fresh set of conditions as to finance and aliso as to responsibility for the upkeep of roads, beoauW the motor traffic cornea in increasing Volume from all quarters and for all purposes, so that the. outlook of the local <■ body is no. longer confined to that of having to provide facilities for the traffic of its own ratepayers. The local body fkutS its roads being used up ,by people who, under the ordinary system of rating, pay nothing directly and but little indirectly towards the upkeep of the .roads. This is the bitter cry of almost eveTy local body, and explains why it is that effort® are being made to secure more revenue by direct levies on the users of the roads. Evidence accumulates to show that the time has come when the whole matter of road maintenance must be put upon a broader andi fairer foundation than local fate finance, because that is proving inequitable to ' the working settler. Here in Taranaki we have seen the institution of toll-gates and the proposal of a system of licenses. These devices have naturally caused a good deal of irritation, and, moreover, they have only to be extended to break down. 'If every county had a toll-gate system or a licensing system, it would cost a small fortune in fees to travel any great distance, and the same people would be taxed' over and over again. Other mean® of raising revenue have 'been advo-1 cated'. One, ■which in this district seems to be most acceptable to our local body men, is'an increase of the import duties on tyres and petrol, and the distribution of the Tevenue to local 'bodies in-the 'wjty of larger subsidies. "Another proposal is that the main roads should ibe altogether a charge on the National^ Treasury. Still a more comprehensive proposal is that promulgated from Otago j which aims at entire change in roading administration. A conference of representatives of local bodies in the southern provincial district goes boldly for a scheme of which the following is an outline: (a) Establish. a Dominion Road 'Board of an entirely non-political character, but tinder the control of a Minister who will be responsible to Parliament, the members of the / Board to include experienced road engineers. (b)* Oasisify all roads into three groups—first, second and third class —the classification to be made on the basis of the relative importance of the various highways for general traffic purposes, special regard being paid in the classification to •roads used for through traffic or pos.sessing more than local importance, while streets in towns used mainly for local traffic, and on which through traffic does not form a substantial proportion of_ the total traffic, would not receive financial J assistance from the Board. I (c) Grants for road construction and maintenance to be based on the classification, all works authorised to be carried! out to the satisfaction ot the Board by the local authority of the district, the local body to have the administration of the roads m it* district.

(d) To provide the necessary funds for such road works the proportion of the coat payable by the looal body ishall be met by the Government advancing a loan on long'repayment terms extenuing over the life of the^ road, the -rate of interest to be de-' cided by the Board according to the classification of the <road. (c) All reading proposal^ made by the Board to be submitted" to the local bodies concerned in detail, two months to be allowed for the filing of any Objections, which must be •served on the Board and on any ; other local bod'eis affected by such proposals, the Board to hear the Objections and give its decision, from which p.pjpeal may be made to the Minister. (f) A maintenance fund to be pro-vid-ed by means of a tyre tax and an annual license fee on all motor vehicles, both to be (collected by the Government and placed at the disposal of the Board. " It is estimated that the revenue of the Board would amount to half a million & year, and that this would permit of the Board raising a .capital fund of twenty millions on iwhich- to finance road construction. These are big figures, but we all talk in million* today. The proposal obviously would need very careful examination by authorities having at their command the services of -experts in finance and engineering. It is said in recoanmendia-^ tion of it that it is based on a system which is working satisfactorily in Victoria. The whole question is of pressing importance and deserves attention from Parliament, but who can .foresee when Parliament is going to settle down to the study and settlement of •such matters'?