THE ROADING POLICY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 225, 29 December 1920, Page 2

THE ROADING POLICY.

PROPOSED 'ARTERIAL THOROUGH PARES.

Speaking at Opuhaki (he othor evening I Mr 0. J llawkon, M.l\ lor Kumonl, I touched on what was proposed by tho Uov- | ornmont in the way of artenu roads—a now policy in regard to road work that was before Now Zealand at present. They had had a wanting on tho subject, and he considered that it behoved county councils to ice that the pioposed scheme would suit their district and their needs., -Though, he nua not tnoroughly familiar with the whole scheme, us fur as ho could see at present, ho was not at all taken with the,now Pi? posals, and would be strongly inclined Uj Oiipow Jhein. If the Government started arterial roads, it would bo likely ,to Wtm duoo into county work an element ot tno town pull. It was said that nearly every railway in New Zealand had been -constructed to suit certain towns, and it seemed to him undesirable that the tamo'- influence should bo introduced regarding county, roads, and «o far, under County control, : M had not. If urlen'al roads woro formed in New Zealand, .ho held that UifW should not be built alongside a railroad, where the district had already had sufficient- Government expenditure, and had derived sufficient ad.vantage therefrom. "As a matterof fact, I he understood that the first arterial road to ha constructed would bo between Wellington mid Auckland, with tho idea that motor traffic might take up the.running in the case of a breakdown of the railway'service, ft seemed extraordinary that it should M necessary to go to such a grunt wponw « that account, As far as ho could see, W>< main road idea would never suit Taranaki. as there wore diverse opinions ns to WIHMI . should bo the main roads. In his opinion roads alongside railways, which took the heaw traffic from them, should be nioie ■ easily maintained than roads that had no railway, and in this connection he instanced Patea County which mUriM its main roads (alongsido tho railway well on a 3d rale, whilst in tho back dist/iek. away from the railway, it required a ad rate. He would say without hesitation hat those wero the people that should be helped in regard to their roads. Whilst recognising that- experienced advice was always appre ciatcd, he held that county councils had alwnvs carried out their work in an m« and capable manner. Ho was certain Uie ■ people of Taranaki would sirohgly object to the Government taking over its mam ■ roru's. There might be certain advanliges. but ho pointed out that they would be rate* through tho Customs on their tyres, and ni ther* were a great many cars used in Taranaki, it miaht result in their paying more proportionately for the maintenance ' of their roads than they did under the pre , <-ont system. The roads that radiated troir the railwav, he hold, were the. ones that needed help, and fie considered that the proposal to construct a main road through the Dominion should be deferred until roaci> had been made for people who hnd no rail ways. It would bo all right if the eountn were thoroughly developed, but until road, were made for "people who had no roads ono railway it was" too soon to go on with r special policy of main roads.