ROAD IMPROVEMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18217, 3 October 1919, Page 6

ROAD IMPROVEMENT.

DEPUTATION TO COUNTIES CONFERENCE. , [Per Press Assocutios.] WELLINGTON, October 2. A deputation from the Good Ro&cU Association and the New Zealand Automobile Union waited on the Counties Conference to-day and placed before the conference the question of the control of roads. Mr M. A. Wynyard, on behalf of tho • Good Roads Association, said that England had voted £8,000,000 and Canada £4,000,000 on roads, while New York State had spent £25,000,000. California had borrowed up to the present time £6,500,000, and proposed to obtain authority for borrowing a further £7,500,000. Outlining the proposals, Mr Wynyard said that the administration and executive body would bo called the County Roads Board, sistiug of three members; tho Board would have wide powers and the chief duty would be to investigate road conditions throughout the Dominion, and to finance the scheme; and .that authority would be given to tho Governor-in-Council to raise £50,000 yearly for the permanent in.provement of roads. After hearing +he deputation the conference proceeded to discuss tho proposals. In the course of tho discussion after the deputation had withdrawn, Sir James Wilson said, in regard to a national roads board, he did not think it wise to multiply the number of Government officials. If they appointed a Government board he did not think it would satisfy the local bodies. Mr G. V. Pearce, M.P., moved thai the Government should not take over the main arterial roads, as local bodies could look after their roads better than the Government could. Mr Pearoa said the Government should as§ist local bodies in their road works bv contributions from the Consolidated Revenue.!

The president (Mr Jull) said that; some authority was required to lay down a better standard of road work than obtained in the country to-day. [f roads were to bo made of a nerma~' aent nature, many of them would require to bp re-graded and re-made* were the len' bodies to carry out that work, it c-ould scarcely be expected that conformity in methods would result. . | Eventually the.varions remits dealing with arterial roads, and also Ms Pearoe'u motion, war* mJansM..-*=->* <wmmitta> to reD&r£.a9ai*» -*'