MAINTENANCE OF HIGHWAYS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 April 1925, Page 1

MAINTENANCE OF HIGHWAYS.

lAIPORTAXT DECISION. GRANTS TO SMALLER BOROUGHS.

Special consideration was given to the question of assistance to boroughs and counties at the meeting of the Alain Highways Board held in Wellington last week ami, as a result, thei hoard lias decided to place, boroughs of a population of 6000 and under on the same basis as counties, as far as maintenance of main highways within their boundaries is concerned. An official statement containing, inter alia, the following has becii issued hv the hoard :

In considering (lie question of assistance front tire itiaiit highways funds towards boroughs, a proper understanding should be obtained of tho principles underlying the Highways Act, 1<;22, the .Motor Vehicles Act, 1924, and the Public Works Amendment Act, 1921, so far as dealing with revenue from the motor vehicles and drivers is concerned. (I) It is the heavy motor vehicles, not the light cars, that determine the standard of roads required for the former require the solid foundation or monolythic structure which determines tho cost of reading. (2) In cities and larger boroughs the normal traffic requires in any case a higher standard by reason of the denser population and the. concentration of heavy traffic, and the higher valuations give a larger revenue than in tho country districts for road construction to moot this internal demand. The heavy traffic from such municipalities also extensively uses the main traffic roads of the adjacent counties. GAIN TO MUNICIPALITIES.

Furthermore, the municipalities gain because the improvements of the main traffic routes radiating from them bring additional trade and prosperity direct to their ratepayers, to the detriment of country towns lor a certain radius, and because the municipalities are considerably relieved, by a. main highways system, of the increasing number of contributions that different, commissions under the Public Works Act or special legislation have been levying on them. (fi) Long-distance traction, rendered possible by the increase of motor vehicles, is throwing oil the counties’ roads a foreign traffic (including heavy vehicles travelling between the business icntres), which is beyond the normal requirements of the country ratepayers.

Consideration of these premises evolved the modern highway system, designed to prvido, for the long distance traffic, contributions which would'help the weak elements (the counties). At the same time, recognising that heavy traffic (whether carrying goods or passengers) is so large a factor in the expense of mads, the system reserved to all local bodies the special revenue from such traffic and the right to regulate it. The revenues to lie derived by local bodies from fees under tho legislation :uv coitjun to l»o many times o;renter than they have ever been before. The following assumption should, for the purpose of considering this phase, lie a reasonable one:— C 12,000 drivers at 5s 30,000 10,000 lorries; at say. 018 180,000 Total 210,000 This is to be compared with Dm f 15.i1l 1 which was the total pi the revenue of all local bodies in New Zealand from vehicles and drivers’ licenses during the year ending March 81, 1921. M()T( )R-LORR Y 1,1 ('EX SES. Boroughs, hv reason ol their having the heavier traffic, will receive a very substantial portion of the motor-lorry licenses under any system based on Lite use of the roads by such lorries. They will, therefore, derive a much greater revenue from motor traffic in that direction than in the past, and lor the reason mentioned tins must lie considered the major contributions from such traffic, to which, under the principle outlined, they are entitled. The mileage affected in boroughs of less than 0000 population totalled 180 miles approximately, and for the purpose of arriving at a recommendation as to tlio probable cost to the Alain Highways Board of recognising claims in all cases from boroughs of less than (JOOO in population, and allowing that the maintenance outside the boroughs is costing about Cl5O per mile over all. the contribution by the Alain Highways Board based on the present subsidy of Cl for C'2 would lie in the vicinity of £9OOO.

Tn view of the importance to tlio smaller boroughs it would appear that the Alain Highways Board would lie justified in recognising the claims oi all such boroughs, as the amount to lie paid to any one would in any case he small, while the. total outlay in this connection would not lie such as to imperil the hoard’s finance. The question of dealing vvit.h boroughs having a. population of more than 0900 is more involved, as menvlsms of tho hoard would not favourably consider proposals to assist boroughs where large revenues have been assured.

ESTIMATED RECET PTS

Of special receipts under the Afotor Vehicles Act, £257.500 was . actually paid over during last financial year. The actual number of registrations to Afarch 31st. was 99.233, including mo-tor-cycles, which are taken as one to four other motor vehicles. Taking Hint as a basis I lie fees receivable may he sol down as follows: —

Registration of motor-cycles 20,000 at 10s 10,000 Registration of motor-cars, etc.. 80,000 at £1 80,000 Annual license fees, motor cycles. 10s. estimated at 10.000 Annual license fees, motorcars, average, at £2 10s. estimated at 200.000

Less cars, etc., registered, hut exempt from payment of lees, say ... 40 ' ,X)U

Net total 200,000 Tn succeeding years the registration fees will tie very much less, say:—

Registration of motor-cycles, ' 2000 at 10s l' ooo Registration of motor-cars. 10.000 at £1 Annual license tees “' ’

Total ... 220.000 DECISIONS OF THE BOARD. Eeariim in mind the foregoing, tlie Main Highways Board decided that assistance he given under Section- - under Hie following conrfiboroughs of 0000 population and under, the hoard shall, on application of such borough, contribute to tlie borough council an amount computed at a rate per mile of the length of continuation of the main h W h ' v ;‘W through such borough equal to the amount per mile paid by the »»aid » respect of the maintenance and repaii of the adjoining mam h 'X ]nya J°l which the continuation passes t.mnji such borough, provided that : / a \ The boruogh has maintained its continuation of such main high-

way in a manner satisfactory to the board, , . ~ , (b) —The length of adjoining highway on which the contribution shall bo based shall lie three miles from the boundary of tlio borough. (e) —That in tho event of the adjoining main highway being a Government road, the board will not pa> more than tho amount which would have been payable had it been an ordinary main highway. (d) The board’s decision as to what street or streets are included ill a continuation of adjoining main highway shall lie final. AIILEAGJS AFFECTED. A table attached to the report shows the mileago in each borough affected by the board’s decision. The particulars regarding Canterbury and AVest Const boroughs arc as follows: Borough Mileage. ill. eh.

My .T. D. Bruce, a member of tlio Main Highways Board, who returned from Wellington to Christchurch informed a reporter that the boaid had gone as far as it could go in the matter. If anything further was to lie done legislation would be required and ho did not tliink 'therc was a chance of such legislation being passed. A\ ith tlio revenue that it had in sight the board had found that it could assist boroughs of a. population of 6000 and under in regard to maintenance of highways, but not in regard to construction. Ho could not hold out any hope of assistance being given to larger boroughs and io cities at present.

Westport ... 2 38 Brunner ... . ... 4 32 Kumb.ru ... 1 00 Hokitika ... . . 1 •18 Boss 2 2-1 Kunangii .’. 2 nil Bangiora ... -10 Kaiapoi .... % 1 00 New Brighton nil Sumner nil J.yttelton ... :.. 2 00 Akavon . ... o 40 Biecarton ... 1 20 Geraldine ... ... 2 -10 Tcmukn. ... ... 1 00 Wairnato ... POSITION 1 OF CITIES. 40