Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. ARTERIAL ROADS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1919, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. ARTERIAL ROADS.

TljjE question of unified control of the main roads of the Dominion is being taken up keenly at Palmerston North. At the last meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Mr E. H. Crabb moved - ‘‘That the time has arrived when the Government should take over the main arterial roads, with a view of making permanent highways.” In speaking to his motion, Mr Crabb said that the ques-‘ tion of providing permanent roads for carrying motor traffic was one of the greatest problem© before local bodies in the Dominion, and for that matter throughout .the whole of the cjvilised world. The construction of such roads was nearly, if not quite, outside the financial capacities of local bodies. Proceeding, he went on to point but that the question was much more a national one than it used to be. Many arterial roads were travelled five or six times as much by people outside the district which was saddled with their as by the ratepayers and residents actually living in the district. The adoption of some more permanent niethqd of road construction was also fast becoming absolutely necessary. It was well known that macadamised roads Would not stand up to motor traffic. A road of this class could be put in first-class order, and in three months’ time it Would be again reduced to a state of absolute disrepair. Mr Crabb pointed out that experiments in macadamised roads had been carried out in Taranaki, but ho was not sure that they had been a success, except where they had been laid down bn top of heavy foundations. This was a very costly matter. In many parts of the Dominion it was almost impossible .to run motor vehicles on some of the main roads. The Government should control these highways—he did not mean take them over. The remedy was for the Government to construct these roads in concrete, tar-sealed, and then for the local bodies to undertake their maintenance. In this connection the advisableness should be considered of levying a tax on motor tyres, payable! to some body set up by the Government, I charged with the duty of laying down arterial roads. In supporting the motion, Mr A. Seifert said they should not definitely recommend concrete roads, for there was! no known method of repairing these, j The expense of their construction was | also huge. For instance, at £SOOO per l mile, it would cost about £5,000,000 to put a road through to Auckland ,* and I they would require not one, but at least two roads to the northern city, one by way of Napier. This would involve So much money that it was a question whether they should not stick to macadamised roads. Of course, Mr Crabb’s mo- j tion did not state concrete roads. Touch-1 ing on another point, Mr Seifert considered that the Government was hot the, right body to carry out the work of con-1 stmetion. The local bodies could do the work cheaper and more efficiently, ! and effect a saving of from 25 to 30 per cent, in the outlay. When it came to the matter of maintenance, the local bodies had also a great advantage over the Government. There was, however, no doubt about the necessity of some strong measure of Government relief. The present position was little short of scandalous. Big State subsidies should be forthcoming. Mr Crabb, in reply, j pointed to the fact that after lengthy’ experience the local bodies in the Auckland district were pinning their faith to • concrete roads. In America, also, where the problem of arterial roads was staring { the authorities in the face, they had gone in for tar-sealed concrete roads. They were constructing there by hundreds of miles. He considered that concrete roads, 20 feet in width, could be laid down for approximately £3O per chain. The best method of constructing our arterial roads would be to entrust the work to a gang of specially experienced men operating with one big plant, and jpermahentiy Oinployed at the work | throughout the country. This would : thakfc for tfiotis Uniformity in construe-;; tiofi ifiitn ‘ if Icifed y tody ' uhdertbmc j 1

.the construction of its own particular section of road-way. Any system of con--1 jstruction that was undertaken by the ; Government, should bo directed by a specially constituted control board of experts. In supporting the rccommenda- ■ tion tho Standard points, out that up to quite recent times in New South Wales, 1 all roads outside of municipalities were maintained by the Government and, even well into the present century, Government surveyors superintended tho - maintenance and repair of such roads, ■ | annual allowances, being made by the r > State for their upkeep, at the rate of * ; £IOO per mile for first-class, £SO per . ! mile for second-class, and £3O per mile for third-class roads, with special grants . in tho event of damage by flood or for I ! bridge work, etc. As a result, tho Govj ei'nment roads in New South Wales were | generally speaking, better cared for than the roads in the adjoining State of Victoria where the Shire Councils held control, and were subsidised by the Government on a fairly liberal scale. Since tho introduction of a complete Mother State of the Commonwealth, and the handing over of the roads to the. local authorities, there has been a marked tendency for the roads to deteriorate in certain districts where the local bodies have not risen to a full sense of their responsibility, and wo are satisfied a simila r experience might be looked for here, if, after the Government put the main roads in order, they were handed back to the local bodies . for maintenance. The Standard holds firmly to the opinion that the construction and upkeep of the main highways,, and in these days of motor national than ' local traffic, should be the work of- the Government. The I local bodies, relieved of their responsibilities in that direction, would then be able to turn their attention to, and to expend £heir rates upon the opening-up of roads in their own districts. It is -notorious that, under the existing system, the “back-roads” —the by-ways arid side-toads of the counties and road districts—receive little or no atention, funds have to be expended upon the main roads. The settlers are consequently handicapped to an unreasonable extent. The demand throughout the country is for good roads, and good roads can only be obtained by large expenditures. The Government should, and must, assume a greater responsibility for the, upkeep of the national highways. It possesses all the facilities and powers that would ensure successful and the relief to the bodies, were tli o main roads taken over, would be unspeakably great, especially in the moire 'thinly populated regions where, under existing conditions, the settlers find their ratCs a heavy handicap. Other aspects of the question Were ably dealt with by Mr T. Maunsell in' an article ip The Mail a fCw diiyl ago.