EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20627, 28 July 1930, Page 12

EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE.

ROADS ON WEST COAST

COST OF RESTORATION

A piotest against tho action of the Government. in charging against the South Island porlion of the Main Highways Funds the cost of repairing or replacing the ro.'ifia on the West, Const drunnged hy the earthquake of last year v,;is recently sent to the chairman of the Main Highways ftoanl, Mr. F \\ ■

Furkert, by the Canterbury Automobile Association

The association has received a reply stating that, a month after the earthquake a letter was sent to the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. 11 A. Ransom, suggesting that assistance should be given from outsido the ordinary fund ot the boatd to enable the. restoration work to be carried out.

li. was stated in the i'-tter that the expense likely to be involved in icstoriim the damage to the roads would , not, far short of a quarter of a million 1 ounds. The board realised that it war part of iis dutv to repair damage to roads, and that any such expense was a reasonable charge against its revenue fund, but it. claimed that the damage in the present •case was of such a cataclysmic nature as seriously to raise the question of whether some outside assistance should not bo forthcoming. " In addition to the tepairs, ' ran the letter, " there will be required loconsfrur.tion probably on better lines than the road destroyed, in which ease part of the expense should come from borrowed money Also ;n coping with the emergency the board has found it necessary to make use of secondary roads, some not even highways, on which a certain amount of construction, as apart from maintenance, will have to be carried out during the next year or longer period if the repairs to the main highways are not complete within that, time. This charge stio'tld certainly 1 ..v c.-,mo ouz. o. borrowed money."

It, was suggested that representations should bo made for an increase in the amount of £200,000 vot-d annually from the Public Works Fund in view of the special circumstances which had arisen, but according to the letter the board had recently been advised that t-abinet had decided to take no action in toe mat tor.