HUTT ROAD DIFFICULTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8740, 23 May 1914, Page 8

HUTT ROAD DIFFICULTY

GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL BODIES. PROTEST TO PRIME MINISTER. The contentious question of thr maintenance of tho Hutt road war, again before the Government yesterday, when representatives of the Wei lington City Council and adjacent- local bodies , waited upon the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Masse and tho Hon. IV. H. Herrios (Minister for Railways). .The deputation’s request was that the Government should take over the thoroughfare as a main arterial road, so that the local bodies should not bo burdened with the cost of its upkeep. Tbs Mavor of Wellington (Mr J. P. Luke) said that the City Council hr already declared that it did not intend to spend any money on the roac in the meantime. It should be vest-' ,ed in the Government and treated as a main arterial road. The council wanted to do what nas fair, and admitted some responsibility in the matter, but it thought that the Government had been somewhat hasty in taking the maintenance men away until the whole question was settled. Thr adjacent bodies shared this view, unsupported thb deputation’s plan, for some of them considered that they had been hard hit. The City Council would loyally support the Government in putting the administration of the road on a fair and equitable basis. The Mayor of Petono (Mr J. W. McEwan) pointed out that on a population basis Petone was very hard hit in,, the allocation. Wellington would have to pay 63 per head, and Petone no loss than £1 8s 6d per head. Mr Massey said that the Government had already taken £40,000 on the cost that had been allotted to the local bodies. The taking off of that sum, ho was afraid, would be dependent on the prompt payment of the balance. ! Mr McEwan: “The present inteiir tion of Petone is to resist payment to tho utmost.”

Mr Massey remarked that ho hoped it would not be necessary for the Government to take over Petone. AVas it proposed that the Government should take over the road and forego the payment of the remaining £6<J,OOO? Mr McEwau: “Yes. Y 7 ou made the road, and should take it over.” Hon. Air Herriesr “We made it at the request of tho local bodies.” Air McEwau: “None of them ever thought it would cost so much.” The Prime Alinister said that the local bodies were asking that if the Government took over the arterial roads in the Dominion, it should take over this road, too. Such a course with the arterial roads had not been decided on, and personally bethought that Parliament would not agree to such a course if it meant taking over such roads as tho Hutt road. The whole matter would come before Parliament during the coming session, and he hoped that it would be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned. Tlie Government was anxious to meet the local bodies and do what was right.