MAINTENANCE OF ROADS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21020, 8 May 1930, Page 13

MAINTENANCE OF ROADS.

RESPONSIBILITY OF USERS. INCREASE IN PETROL TAX. (Peb United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 7. Highway matters were referred to by the Minister of Public Works (Mr E. A. Ransom) at a conference of the Franklin District Chamber of Commerce at Papakura. The Minister said the time was ripe for some readjustment of reading finance on the lines of users of roads shouldering their responsibility. Last year the Highways Board expended £2,000,000 on highway maintenance and construction. This was its heaviest expenditure' in any one year to date, and it was expected the amount would increase with road transport being now almost wholly by motor. Money to meet the demands would need to be found from this source, the principle of rating land being no longer tenable to the degree that it had been’ in the past. Mr Ransom said 1 he hoped to submit proposals to Parliament in the coming session designed to place more financial responsibility on the Highways Board, especially in the case of highways passing through ingsThe conference unanimously carried a remit urging that all main arterial roads should be nationalised and controlled by the Highways Board, and that to provide funds for this purpose the petrol tax should be increased.