BIG ROADING SCHEME

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11867, 28 June 1924, Page 11

BIG ROADING SCHEME

THE EMPOWERING ACT PRECIS OF PROVISIONS OF IMPORTANT MEASURE. EARLY INTRODUCTION. As announced in the “New Zealand Times’’ of yesterday the hill for the establishment of the .big city roading scheme lias been approved by the conference of delegates from local bodies. The bill is to be known as th© Wellington and Suburban Highways Construction and Hutt Hoad Amendment Bill. It is intended to amend the Hutt Road Act of 1915, and the amending Acts of 1922 and with these statutes, govern the construction and maintenance of the Hutt road and of the roads and streets affected by the Act. It will be introduced in Parliament at the earliest possible moment. BOARD OTP CONTROL. By it a board of control (the “Wellington City and Suburban Highways Board of Control”) is set up and consists of twelve members, namely, the Mayors of Wellington, Petone, and Lower Hutt, the ohairmen of the oounties of Makara. and Hutt, fire councillors of the city, nominated by the Wellington City Council, one member from either the Eastbourne Borough Council, tlie Johnsonville Town Board,' or the Upper Hutt Town Board, and a representative of tlie motorists. The first members'* are to be appointed or elected as soon as practicable after the pass- ! ing of the Act, and are to continue in office until .July Ist, 1927, but are capable of reappointment. Failure to appoint a member will find the GovernorGeneral vested with authority to do so. In May, 1927, the appointment of all members other than the three Mayors and tlie two county chairmen is to be made. EXTENSION OBTAINED. In tlie Act pro-vision for the extended scheme is made by repealing the words “the maintenance of the Hutt road,” and inserting the clause “the Hutt road or the roads or streets, affected by the provisions of the Wellington City and Suburban Highways Const ruction and Hutt Road Amendment Act, 1924.” The money expended by the Wellington City Council in patrolling and inspection of the Hut<t road and the oontrol of the traffic upon it sire to be parr of the cost of maintenance of the Hutt road, and, in case of dispute, the amount is to be fixed by the General. CONTRIBUTIONS.

Eastbourne Borough Council i.P er A new sub-section also provides that: t( So long as the fees paid under the section amount in any financial year to £7OOO, or more, the total contributions to be made by tho looal authorities unider section “6 of the principal Act shall be £1000; but if the amount of such fees shall be less than £7OOO the contributions of £IOOO shall be increased by the amount representing the difference between the amount paid and £7000.” Tile cost of collecting fees is to be a first charge on those collected, and is to be deducted from them by the Wellington City Council. FOB, MOTORISTS’ USE. For the payment of fees the Act empowers the Wellington City Council to furnish motorists, on payment of their fee, with a “disc wafer, seal, transpaxency, or other whatever _ tor attachment to tho interior of the windscreen, or some other part of the ear, and provides that the motorists must attach, this seal to their cars within 24 hours of receipt. If any device is lost, payment of the fee of 2a 6d will obtain a new one, while to deface, destroy, or counterfeit the device is constituted an offence against the Act. CONSTRUCTION TO COME. The Wellington Chty Council is also empowered under the Act, with the consent of the board, to construct, in whole or part of their widths, concrete bitumen, or other permanent surfaces, ” and to maintain any ot the following streets or road©: City—Tharndon quay, Cable street, Chaffers street (to its junction with Herd street), Herd street (to Clyde quay)', Clyde quay (to Dewsbury terrace), Dewsbury terrace, Oriental parade, Evans Bay road (to Wellington road. KilibSmie), and the street® connecting Evans Bay road from Wellington road with Bay road on the foreshore , or to tho landward side of Kilbiraie reserve; Seatoun road (to Onepu road), Oneipu road to the sea, Lyall Bay parade ito Queen’s <1 rivo, and Queen’s drive to its junction with the southern end of Derwent street at Island Bay. Petone—Hutt road (from the railway crossing Korokoro stream to the northern boundary of Petone), the esplanade from Hutt road along the foreshore to Cuba street, Cuba street (to 1 Jackson street), Jackson street (tq the I Hutt pipe bridge). (Hutt—Hutt road (from Petone to | the northern end of Hutt borough), ! Park road and Gracefield street (to Dowry Bay road), and Lowry Bay road to tho south-eastern boundary. I Makara—Ngahauranga gorge road i (from the Hutt road for a distance of 1 40 chains). Hutt County—The western approach ! of tho pipe bridge, the Hutt road from [ the northern boundary of Lower Hutt | to the southern boundary of Upper ! Hutt Town District, Lowry Bay road and Day’s Bay road (from the southeastern boundary of Lower Hutt Borough to the northern boundary of Eastbourne Borough). Eastbourne'—The main street from the northern to the southern boundary Johnsonville—The main road through the district throughout its extent. Upper Hutt—-The main road for its whole extent. OF ANY DEPTH. This surfacing is to be of any depth which the council thinks fit, and the roads so created are to he available only to rubber-tyred vehicles, subject to the proviso that other vehicles may

use them only when it is essential. Authority for the purchase of necessary plant is granted, and power to use any moneys raised which are not required for the Hutt road. The Wellington City Council is entitled to charge for legal, clerical, and engineering work done a sum equal to_s per cent, of the money expended each year on the construction and maintenance of the roads, and contributions by local authorities are payable for the year ending March 31st, i 92 5, as under: For roads outside Eastbourne Borough—£2oo per lineal mile of road or street. For streets in Eastbourne Borough—£loo per lineal mile. The length of roads as to be fixed by the city engineer PROGRAMME LAID DOWN. In March of each year the paving programme is to be mapped out, and the work will commence as from April Ist. The City Council may light the roads in such manner as it deems fit, and the cost of lighting is to form part of the maintenance of the roads. FINANCIAL SIDE. Special loans may bo raised by special order from time to time for the purpose of construction up to the total of £150,000. Debentures issued on

these are to have a currency of not more than 50 years, and a sinking fund of not less than - \ per cent, per annum is provided for redemption. The money collected is to bo available to meet interest or sinking filial charges for loans, or any renewal loans, to meet the cost of maintenance, to pay the charges, for work done by the Wellington City Council’s staff, to meet cost of construction, or provide additional payments for sinking fund. The provisions of the Act apply also to renewal loans, and the statute does not prejudice the Control of streets _by local bodies in whoso jurisdiction they are vested.

'Ill© proportions of the various local authorities to be contributed towards the total cost of maintenance of the Hutt road are: — Wellington Oity Council 44J per cent. Petone -Borough Council 18 per cent. Bower Hutt Borough Council 14 per oent. Makara County Council 12 pier cent. Hutt County Council ... 8 per cent. Johnsonville Town Board 2 per cent. Upper Hutt Town Board H per cent.