BETTER ROADS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22464, 7 July 1936, Page 10

BETTER ROADS

HELPING FARMERS

GOVERNMENT'S AIMS

MR. SEMPLE IN NORTH

NEEDS OE THE DISTRICT

[BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] DARGAVILLE, Monday

"W« have spent enough in developing the cities and the principal towns and we have now to look after the farmers," said the Minister of Public Works, tho Hon. R. Semple, at Paparoa to-day. Ho was making a hurried tour through tho North, principally for tho purpose of looking into tho proposal to complete tho Dargaville railway line, but be met a number of deputations en routo.

The Minister was mot at Helensvillo by tho lit. Hon. J. G. Coates, M P. for Kaipara, who introduced him as he went along. Mr. Semple, who was very well received, promised that as soon as the coming session of Parliament was over lie would make a more comprehensive tour of tho North. On several occasions ho remarked that much remained to bo done in North Auckland and it was the Government's duty to give attention to those parts of the country which wero not properly rouded or developed. The Minister's Desire "I am an irritable, restless sort of creature," Mr. Semple said. "I do not want to rust out, but to wear out, and in doing that 1 want to be able to do sorficthing for the country." He also said that he and Mr. Coates were on opposite sides, but in his capacity as Minister ho wanted to help Mr. Coates and his district just as much as if Jfr. Coates were the Prime Minister in his own party. The Minister said he was going to have a good look at the outback roads and see what he could do to help the farmers. A total of £BOO,OOO was being placed on tho Estimates this year for roads other than main highways. This was approximately double tho amount, voted last year. He wanted to get out where things were crying out to be done and they could depend on him that the North would not be neglected Local Bodies' Problem In the course of his tour northward to-day Mr. Semple saw many access roads -badly in need of attention and a ? lnos k every case he was told that tho local authority had not funds to help the settlers, in spite of .the need for quicker and cheaper means of getting produce to the factories. It was shown to the Minister on several occasions that such a large portion of a depleted revenue had been spent on mai.n roads that it had not been possible to do much to help farmers living away from these routes. The Minister took time at several places to explain his proposal that the Government should eventually control the highways and provide the cost of improvement and maintenance. "Our intention to take over 4000 miles of main highways will relieve the local bodies of about £150,000 a year in expenditure," he said, "and will bring those roads absolutely under the control of the Main Hignways Board. This will be only a beginning and, as time goes on, other parts of the highways Bystem which it is thought should be taken over will be considered. "My own view is that it would be a good thing if all the roads were maintained by tho State, and we hail some form of fair taxation for their maintenance." At present there was a good deal of trouble, as gaps existed on otherwise good highways. Some counties played the game and did their share, while others, including some wealthy local bodies, wanted more than their fair share in the way of subsidy. Earlier Opposition Recalled The Minister stated that power to take this 4000 miles of highway would be obtained soon after Parliament resumed and in suggesting that Mr Coates should help in getting the legislation through, he said that Mr. Coates had previously suggested this very thing himself. Mr. Coates remarked that he had done more than that, and bad drafted the actual bill, but there had been so much opposition from local bodies that he had dropped tho proposal. Mr. Semple: Well, they can yell as much as they like, but we are going to do it now, as it is the best thing for the country. ' One of the principal reasons for taking over main highways, the Minister said, was to give the counties some relief and enable them to attend to the subsidiary access roads. The Government wanted to tackle the main highways job on a three or fiveyears plan, to close the gaps and bring the highways to a good state. His object was to get the Highways Board to undertake the maintenance of thosp roads and to see the counties, in conjunction with the Public Works Department, attending to the remainder.