WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1919. THE COUNTIES' CONFERENCE.

Northern Advocate, 22 October 1919, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1919. THE COUNTIES' CONFERENCE.

The conference of Northern locrl bodies which is taking place in Whangarei to-day is of great importance to the whole of Northland. It has been called with the desire to promote a better understanding with regard to the maintenance and continuity of the main I arterial roads in this portion of the Dominion, and there is every reason to believe that good results will follow. During the past few years considerable attention has been given to the question of providing better roads, and local bof'u-s generally have realised that main thoroughfares must be maintained to permit of proper development of the country. The great difficulty all along has, of course, been finance, and many county councils have been faced 'with insuperable obstacles in this direction. In the North the maintenance of main ronds has been specially difficult owing to the fact that much country is traversed which contributes practically nothing in rates. There arc , big areas of native land, gum reserves and Crown lands lying idle, and as a result no rates are paid to the local bodies. Nevertheless, as the means of communication to a district generally, these roads have had to be maintained. Under the system of keeping riding ac- * counts, the districts containing these long sections of road through unproductive country have suffered considerably and little money has been available for important by-roads. Thus much discontent has been occasioned amongst the ratepayers, who have been compelled to plough through mud your after year. 'Various suggestions have been made as to the system which should be adopted to more efficiently maintain these roads. The most popular opinion is that Government should bear the cost, but Ministers do not appear at all favourable to this course and a settlement on those lines does not seem likely for some time to come. To partially overcome the difficulty the Whangarei County Council has adopted the principle of making the upkeep of certain specified main roads in the county n charge upon tho general fund, thus relieving the hoav-ily-burdi'iiod ridings of the unfair t:..\ placed upon their resources. In its policy of progress, also, it has endeavoured to arrange for a continuity of system to the boundaries of other counties. At the conference to-day it is hoped that a definite understanding will be arrived at whereby the main arter* ial routes of each county will bo linked up. Each local body will, of course, manage its own finance, but tlm benefit of such an arrangement is too obvious to need comment. The conference should also have the tendency to break down parochial barriers and give the representatives of all local bodies an opportunity to acquire an appreciation of tho possibilities before the North. In the very near future there will be big changes in this part of the Dominion, and it will be of immense advantage for the mem in charge of our public affairs to have a mutual understanding and knowledge of the requirements of the North as a whole. While keeping their entities complete, the counties could work in unity ou many matters, save much money, and materially aid prosperous evolution.