THE HUTT ROAD

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9095, 14 July 1915, Page 4

THE HUTT ROAD

EFFECT OF NEW BILL DEPUTATION TO MINISTER FOR RAILWAYS. The Hon. W. H. Herries, Minister for Railways, yesterday received a deputation from representatives of local bodies interested in the Hutt Road Bill. The deputation was accompanied by Messrs T. M. Wilford, W. H. Field, and R. A. Wright, M.P.’s. Mr Wilford explained that there was an objection to vesting control in the Wellington City Council as proposed in the bill', and it was desired that there should .be a special board created representing the various local bodies rated for the road. It was also considered that there should be a right of revision every five years as to the allotment of the cost of the upkeep. The suggestion was further made that the Government’s contribution should be raised from £40,000 to £60,000. As the apportionment stood the Hutt and Petone boroughs were hit rather heavily. The Mayor - of Wellington (Mr J. P. Luke) said that the City Council was agreeable to a Board of Control being set rip, although it did not object to stand aa the controlling authority as proposed in the bill. He was there chiefly to support the proposal for the board. He did not object to the five-yearly revision because he believed that the division of interests in the award made by the Commissioner (Mr shortt) would be found a right one. ft was impossible to overlook the fact that the traffic on the Hutt road, before the camp was established at Trentham had been all in Hutt and Petone interests. The cost of the road would undoubtedly have been less had it not been constructed in conjunction with the railway. The principle of allowing debentures' to be issued by the local bodies he believed would solve any financial difficulties at the present time and he asked that provision be made in the hill for debentures to be redeemable at any time.

Mr C. C. Crump, Mayor of Onslow, supported the Board of Control proposal. His council would welcome any £§il£tiop ia assg.ssm.ept EQ^ibk.foe-

cause ite revenue was only £4OOO, and out of that £3OO or £4OO would have to be contributed. At the same time he admitted his predecessors had agreed to the arrangement and ho was not there to cavil.

Mr Field, M.P., said he had, been very dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s report as far as 1 his locality was concerned. But he realised there must be some, contribution, and he supported the Board of Control with power for a periodic revision. He urged also that those who contributed should have some voice in the control. Mr J. W. Mcfiwan, Mayor of Petone, said that the borough had 455 acres of land on the flat and the council was anxious not to be overburdened with rates. Hutt and Petone had to find 32 per cent, of the, cost of construction, and 32 per cent, of the upkeep of the road as against the 38 per cent, of the city, and this on a population basis was not just. More consideration should be given to the fact that the road was an essential highway. It was-used to an increasing extent for motor-lorry traffic for places beyond the Hutt Valley. Mr H. Baldwin (Hutt) said that his body would agree to a board, but Some say in the control of the road was wanted. He also asked if the contributing bodies were not to be credited with the sales of land arising out of the construction of the road. Their share of the construction of the road was going to .be £4OO a year apart from the maintenance.

The Minister said h© was glad to have the- opinions of the deputation. As to the body of control suggested, he had no objection if the representatives of the various bodies could agree as to its personnel. He did not want to run the risk of having the bill hung up by disagreement on this point. It was to avoid this difficulty that the Wellington City Council had been nominated as the controlling body. He thought the request for periodic revision reasonable and would agree to that under certain conditions'. He had no doubt that the debenture proposals, also, could Be carried out. He could not go back bn the original local contributions of '£40,000, as they had already been reduced by nearly a half.