TOUCHES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 2 July 1921, Page 5

TOUCHES

OBJECTION BY MOTORISTS.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER

TARANAKI TOLL GATES

MOTORITSTS AND MINISTER

(By Telegraph—Special to Star). WELLINGTON, July 2. _ Consequent on the decision of the Hutt County to erect a toll gate on; the popular Wellington harbour side road, motorists went as a deputation *» ,* he Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Public Works, to-day. They described the. system as a barbaric and wasteful method of collecting money, Mr C M. Banks, vice-president of the Automobile Association, declaring that the two i principal toll gates in Taranaki produced £4138 in a year, and 25 per cent of this was absorbed in expenses If there were similar toll gates all over New Zealand the income would be about £160,000, of which £30,000 would go in expenses, whereas motorists had agreed to a tyre tax >vhich would bring in about £150,000, and of which only ,about £4000 wouH be absorbed m the cost of collection. The Minister: As a motorist, wouV you object to paying at toll gates 'f you got good roads as a resjVi? Mr Banks: No, but why not get tb«_ money in a less costly manner? Mr Coates, after referring to the necessity to provide money for improved roads, said that it waß essential that following the advance in motor traction people should be able to get by road from point to point in New Zealand with comparative ease and comparative economy. Unfortunately that was not the position today. The time had arrived w;hen the problem had to be tackled, and he hoped that the legislation in contemplation would make it somebody's job to see that the roads were constructed and maintained. The money available would have to be made to go ac far as possible. The question was really a scientific one, and it waß only experts _and men who had studied the position closely who were able to realise that the methods of to-day were not equal to the needs of to-day He admitted that he hated the sigiit of toll gates, but as to whether hi would approve of the erection of more of them he was not going to say atonce- There were other sides to be heard.