BACK BLOCK ROADS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4746, 14 September 1935, Page 5

BACK BLOCK ROADS

SUBSIDY PROPOSED. SUPPORT BY WAITOMO , • COUNTY. A decision to support the Counties' Conference in asking that a subsidy of £ for £ should be forthcoming for general expenditure on all roads other than highways in lieu of the > rate subsidy of 5s in the pound, was made by the Waitomo County Council yesterday. The chairman, Mr. Lee, said from the weight behind this move there appeared to be a very good chance of the Counties' Association's request being acceded to. The clerk reported that last year the Waitomo County Council had spent £3006 on roads other than Highways, while the subsidy on rates had amounted to £1166. On the £3006 the County would receive half, £1503, as subsidy, but from this ha,d to be taken the £lll6, leaving £337. As this would be subsidised, if the proposal came into force, the Coun-' cil would have had £674 more to spend on roads other than highways. Cr. Neal said the tendency was now to spend more money on the subsidiary highways, lift the subsidy, and leave the balance of the roads. This was unfair. ' In his district the ordinary roads had more traffic than the highways. The chairman said the propsoal would be advantageous, but it should be applied on a county rather than on a riding basis, for some ridings, taken separately, would be detrimentally affected. This proposal would make necessary larger demands on the Government—approaching a million pounds—while the subsidy on rates cost the Government £250,000. Crs. Jones and Neal commented that Waitomo would not benefit in the same proportion as other counties, but in the general discussion which followed it was agreed that [in view of the permanency which would attach to such a scheme, the Council should support it.