MAIN HIGHWAYS FUND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20925, 15 July 1931, Page 13

MAIN HIGHWAYS FUND.

RAIDS BY GOVERNMENT. GRAVE RESULTS FEARED.' PROTEST IN THE HOUSE. [by reporter.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. On account of the raids which have been made by the Government upon the Main Highways Fund it' is considered by Mr. A. E. An.soil (Reform —Chalmers), who is president of the South Island Motor Union, that the Highways Board and many counties throughout the country will shortly experience grave financial difficulties in road construction and maintenance. Had the Government not made the raids upon the Highways Fund, Mr. Ansell said in the House of Representatives to-day, there would have been a great deal more money available for the counties. Since the introduction of the Highways Act the subsidies to local bodies had been increased. Without question the counties were entitled to increased subsidies on account of increased traffic, but the policy of the Government had denied them that right. The Government had taken in all from the Highways Fund £516,000, including the stoppage of a £35,000 subsidy from tho Consolidated Fund, ;i £200,000 grant from the Public Works Department, a £22,000 subsidy on tho rates of local bodies, and- £61,000 in interest. Difficulties Ahead of Counties. For tho whole 6ystem of main and secondary roads throughout the Dominion the amount found by the local bodies for maintenance was £375,849, so that had the Government left the Highways Act as tho Reform Party had left it, it would have been possible to keep the roads in the same state as they were to-day, and have freed the county .councils from all maintenance liability. The Hon. A.. J. Stallworthy: What would' have happened to the Consolidated Fund 1 Mr. Ansell: That is a different, matter. Mr. Ansell quoted extracts against the principle of highways fund raids and added that the Main Highways Board had a right to know what lay ahead of it instead of being called-upon to frame its policy from week to week. He said ho anticipated that, as a result of the Government's policy many counties would soon find themselves faced "with great difficulties. Motorists finding Most Money. Objection had been taken to the running of roads parallel to railways, but Mr. Ansell pointed out that nearly all the highways in tho South Island ran close to tho "railways and very little expenditure would bo undertaken there if the railways had not been followed. Practically all high-class paving had been done with money derived from motorists in the vicinity of the cities. Motorists were finding 75 per cent, of the money and borrowed funds were devoted to tho improvement of secondary roads and the restoration ancl renewal of bridges, thus saving the local bodies large sums. The roads running parallel to the railways had to carry tho bulk of the traffic and were entitled to their share of expenditure. ' If the highways fund had not been interfered with tho whole system of road construction and maintenance would have been working out smoothly and efficiently and contributing materially toward derating among local bodies.