NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY. MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 1919. ROADS IN THE MAKING.

Northern Advocate, 18 August 1919, Page 2

NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY.

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 1919. ROADS IN THE MAKING.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

In view of the conference which has been discussing the road-maintenance pr'obk-m in Auckland, it is interesting to take note of some convincing- facts mid figures dealing with this subject ne provided by an American businessman, Mr \Y. D. Craven, who claims to be a specialist in road-making. According- to the statements which he placed before the Dunedin City Council recently it would seem that the Americans have come to a full recog nition of the benefits of good roads and make no hesitation whatever in finding the money required for improvement. In fact he said the people had "come forward with so much money that those responsible did not know how to spend it. It «'as the duty of engineers fully to investigate all the local sources of material for the roads that were being built. In 1913, the stone-.' sand, and gravel used in road construction .in the United States totalled over 64,000,000 tons, valued at over £5,000,000. In the same year there were 2,500,000 motor ears in the States, and taxation on them produced practically £ 4,000,000 to be spent on the roads. In 1918 the motors had increased to 3,500,000. What a motorist spent in taxation he could easily save in tyres through having the improved roads. They were getting 8000 miles out of their tyres without any trouble, and he had had as much as 14,000 oniles. iFov every 1000 of a population there were 49} miles of road in the United tSates. 5J miles, or about 10 per cent, of which was surfaced and modern. Thei'e were places where they could ride on beautiful roads for 12 hours without seeing a house. Such roads were built by State aid. The rate was 7s per £100, the assessment being made on about two-thirds of the capital value of property. For <thk>se who had no property there was a poll tax of 11s per annum. This worked out at £17 per square mile. In New York State the number of motor cars increased in the year 1918 by 65,595, or 62 per cent. The gravel and macadam roads decreased 24 per cent., and the bituminous or modern roads increased 13A per cent." Touching upon financial methods he said that in America there were several known and tried plans which were successful and perfectly legitimate. One was by getting federal aid, and another by local taxation or assessment. A sliding scale was arranged, so that people paid less the further they lived from the road. -A very popular method in the States hiad been the issue of 20----year bonds, and he thought the bond issue method was the simplest and best. A bond issue could be taken out for 20 years, and 'a road built to last 26, years. Interest and sinking fund was put by each year, and. the loan paid off in 18 yeans. The other two years covered the <miainten!auce. The terms used by Mr Craven ar<* practically what we will here Government-' help and special loans. ' The result is the same for the people find the money and he declares tha.t when once educated to the wisdom 6f making proper transport routes the Americans will not be held back. The same spirit is slowly, but surely becoming manifest in this country and future Governments will be called upon to give a lewd in this aspect of progTess.