MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10964, 28 July 1921, Page 6

MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS

AN IMPORTANT MEASURE BOARD OR DEPARTMENTAL ENGINEERS. LOCAL BODIES ELIMINATED. QUESTION OF FINANCE. The outlines of next, session's Main Highways Bill were fore-shadowed yesterday in an important statement made to the Press by the Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister for Public Works). "The question of arterial road communication /* said the Minister, "has been receiving my attention ever since I have been Minister for Public Works. Several hills were drafted, each involving’ the local bodies in the administration of the scheme, but I eventually came to the conclusion that the problem was essentially a national one necessitating national control. Therefore, as will be seen in the accompanying statement, which has received the approval of Cabinet. I have made a. new departure by eliminating, the local bodies from the scheme. The bill has not been printed, but it ’will ho prepared for the Government Printer exactly on th* lines indicated in this statement. Therefore, local bodies and all interested in the matter can take this statement as a clear indication of what is proposed. The hill will simply put the scheme into statutory form. ALTERED CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL. "The development of motor traffic in recent years has greatly altered the conditions of travel and created the necessity for improvement of our main highways. Formerly, rapid traffic "by land, whether of passengers or goods, was effected solely by moans of railway facilities, and the objective dm road construction and maintenance was to provide ■ways sufficient for horse-drawn, wheeled traffic, feeding the railways where railways existed, and providing the means of conveyance within and between localities. It has now become clear, in all .m-rtn of the world which are closely inhabited, that to a large extent the rapid traffic of the future will be conducted by motors equipped with" rubber tyres, end requiring therefore a much higher, class of construction, and more extensive maintenance of the road surface. The original policy of constructing arterial railways must therefore now be supplemented by the construction and maintenance to a higher degree of perfection of arterial* highways. Railways were—and with few exceptions still ar% —constructed. and maintained wholly out of Dominion funds, without subvention from local finance. The present exceptions to that rule ara that the local bodies are now permitted to construct and maintain, out of local finance, fight railways to feed »nd supplement the main arterial railways. POLICY LAID DOWN. ROAD-USERS TO PAT. "The policy to be regarded in the future, and to be adopted, as far as is possible for the present with respect to roads, should be upon the same 'general linos as the policy of roads and railway® in the past. Main arterial roads should be constructed,, reconstructed and maintained by the Dominion as a whole, while roads of a purely looal interest, or county interest, must be constructed and maintained wholly, by local body finance, with such assistance from the Government in the way of grants for construction and subsidies for metalling As the financial circumstance© of the Dominion will permit. "But in the case of railways, the provision for maintenance and for paying interest upon cost of construction is made by charges upon those who use the railway, whether a© passengers or for goods traffic* and the same must be the case in regard to 'the provision of Dominion fin am ce- for the construction and maintenance of arterial highways to\enable rapid motor traffic to be conducted. TOLL SYSTEM QBSGLETE.

"One simple method of such provision would be to establish, tolls on the arterial highways for the collection 6f charges, as the charges are collected at. railway stations on railways; and. that simple method would have the advantage of charging ordinary horse or steam-drawn, wheeled traffic as well a© motor traffic. But the collection by toll of charges for the use of roads is inconvenient, obsolete and often unfair an its incidence, and must necessarily be rejected in any wellconsidered policy.. Other methods must therefore be adopted to effect the same object—namely, that the class of' vehicles and of persons for which and whom the means df rapid traffic aro provided should contribute a large proportion of the cost to the Dominion. It is to be borne in mind that existing main road conditions are generally quite adequate for any form of transport other than what may bo termed ‘high speed traffic/ in other words, motor traffic. LOCAL FINANCE RELIEVED. "The Government proposes by the bill to be introduced in the coming session, effective provision for the construction, reconstruction and maintenance of such main roads as may be declared arterial highways out of Dominion finance, relieving looal finamfee of all cost and charge in respect of such arterial hignwaye, and thereby increasing the amount which, out of local finance, the local authorities can provide for the better construction and maintenance of district and county roods, and enable* the necessary annual supply qf Dominion funds for the first purpose. "But to prevent the policy above defined collapsing in its earliest stage**, it is essential that the roads to be defined as main, arterial highways during the first few years of the operation of the Act ehoud be strictlv limited in extent. Therefore, many roads, which it is believed will ultimately come within the definition of main arterial highways and bo transferred from local burden to Dominion finance, must, tor the time present, be excluded, and the present effort. limited to effective construction and maintenance of a much less extent of roadway. ''The second essential requirement is that as far as possible the expenditure of monoye provided out of Dominion finance for maintenance and construction of main arterial highways should be removed from political or parochial influence of every kind. It is only by dealing with main highways under a comprehensive policy free from all local influences that material progress and improvement can be ‘ achieved within reasonable time. "The . determination of the particular part of a highway to be constructed, reconstructed, or maintained, and of -the particular parts of a highway requiring special and exceptional expenditure on maintenance, should be ileft to an independent expert board, without interference from Government or Parliament, except so far as is necessary *o preserve the Government control of expenditure otf Government money. PROPOSALS SUMMARISED. "The .bill to be submitted for consideration of Parliament will propose provision for: — (1) The definition of what shall be for the present main arterial highways lo the purposes of the bill. (2) Tho constitution of a Board of Departmental Engineers and other gentlemen, under whoso control buta the artorial highways and all moneys funded for the purpose of the construct*oll and maintenance of such highways shall be placed. (3) Finance. THE FIRST SPEEDWAYS. "’The first roads to bo declared main arterial highways, or roads for highspeed traffic, will bo: — In the North Island: A road from Kaitaia to Wellington, via Auckland, Hamilton, To Kuiti, .Waltar*, ana

Wanganui; and a road from Wellington to Gisborne. _ In the South Island: A road from Blenheim jfco the Blue, and a - rood- from Blenheim, via Nelson, to Hokitika*' FINANCIAL PROVISIONS. "The bill will propose that finance shall b-j provided; (1) By a special duty on tyres. ' (2) By a license fee (apart from local body registration fee) on every four-or three-wheeled motor-vehicle, motorcycle and side-car, and motor-cycle. It is proposed that tho license fee should, be identical in amount for every fourwheeled vehicle, without. differentiation for weight or power, and that there should be another uniform fee less in amount for three-wheeled vehicles, and a third uniform fee for two-wheeled vehicles. (3) By money provided by Parliament annually from either the Public Wonts Fund or Consolidated Fund. MAIN HIGHWAYS* BOARD.

"It must be added that where part of a main arterial highway is a street of a city or borough, such part will continue to be constructed and maintained as at present out of ctiy or borough funds. It is not proposed that the. Board of' Main Arterial Highways shall have any powei or duty in -respect of the Streets of a borough oar city. Having regard to the opportunity offered in cities and boroughs of more intensive taxation on highly-valued property, and the fact that hitch-speed traffic and its consequent destruction of roads ie not permissible or possible to anything like the same extend in boroughs .or cities as it is on the open road, the. exclusion of main highways in boroughs and cities from the operation of the bill is considered fair and reasonable/'*