STATE HIGHWAYS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19141, 9 October 1936, Page 11

STATE HIGHWAYS

OBJECTIONS BY COUNTIES

''POLITICAL CONTROL"

BOARD SHORN OF POWER

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER

(Special to the Ftoralil.) WELLINGTON, this day

A delegation from the executive of the Counties Association* consisting of Messrs. A. E. Jull. W. Marshall, F. H. Hudson and Colonel Pow, recently waited upon the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R-. Sample, to discuss the High, ways Amendment Bill just, introduced in the House.

The. interview elicited from the Minister his intention first to create some 4COO miles of the most important arterial roads to he called State highways, as. a first instalment, with the desire to continue that policy until even 12,CC0 miles of State highways were created, making, as the Minister said, a national reading system and with the Public Works Department co-operating with the counties in respect of the remaining roads. The intention is that the Highways Hoard shall, on the Stale highways, do the actual work of. construction, reconstruction and maintenance quite independently of the county councils, only using the county personnel and equipment until the 'department can gather its own either by taking over plant that the board considers suitable or by purchasing its own. . An important provision in the bill is that the Minister's consent must first be obtained before any construction workon any main highway can ho started. Another provision is that the Minister is also to be the final appeal authority in cases, of disagreement, between the board and councils. DIFFICULT CASES ,

The Minister admitted the difficulty of dealing with cases where counties have raised" loans to cover the cost of construction on roads now to be declared State highways., and said he, would endeavour later on to try and solve that problem. Many counties, particularly in the South Island, had not played the game in respect of road improvement. In fact the Minister stated that if the gaps in the road system, particularly >n the South Island, had not existed, there would have been no necessity ior the bill. i . The delegation pointed out to the Minister that although the counties through whose, area the present proposed State Highways run would be relieved ot the annual cost of maintenance, many counties would, because of their geographical position, get no benefit at all. There are counties which had interest on loans for their road construction up to eight or ten times the amount of the proposed maintenance, benefit. The counties which had done the least on the proposed State highways would receive the greatest share of benefit. That there was. ample power under the present Act to revoke, the control of any portion of a highway in any county and do Hie. work of construction, making the county stand up to its reasonable .share and so close the- gaps in the road system. POLITICAL CONTROL

The Minister was reminded that ho has repeatedly stated that the Highways Board, in conjunction with the counties, had done most excellent work, yet the bill proposed to take away from the board its power and discretion and vest them in the Minister, thus, introducing political control. That when the State highways control and administration is taken over by the department many counties will lose the community interest between the different parts, the State highways being in many cases tho backbone of 'the county and such counties will tend to disintegrate into road boards, and as the policy of State highways proceeds so the county system must give way to centralised bureaucratic control with groups of small road boards administering the by-ways under departmental supervision. The counties delegation was not opposed to the creation of a set of roads the full cost of which would be borne by the highway fund. There are such roads now, and more could be created under present legislation. There is ample power in tho present Act to insist that all counties be made to contribute to the closing of gaps in their area if the Minister will exercise it rather than penalise the counties that have'faced their cnligalions, and still further assist tho a- who have not. If the Minister's intention ot introducing departmental administration of the main roads is carried out the dual control of authority which existed when road boards and county councils were, operating together will be revived to the great disadvantage of efficiency and economy. REMINDER OF STATEMENT The Minister was reminded of his previous statement to assist counties by a subsidy on roads other than main highways, and he assured the delegation that he still intended to do that later on. In the Minister's explanation in the House on the introduction of the bill he said it was intended to make a distinction between those counties that, had played the game regarding road improvement and those which had not, but according to (ho bill this intention is 1o be carried out by granting greater benefit to the counties that, as the Minister says, have not played the game, and making conditions relatively harder and more irksome for those, who have, played the game. The abolition of the active co-opera-tion by the counties in doing the road work under the supervision of the Highways Board for construction and maintenance of the highways with their own plant or by contract, has brought about, the great road improvement to the satisfaction of all parties, and should not be curtailed as proposed by a system of dual control. That the gaps"in the completion of the main road surfacing are rapidly diminishing and. now that more funds are available can be totally eliminated by invoking the powers of the present Act. Tho counties delegation was opposed to tho emasculating of the powers of the Highways Board by the introduction of political control. It will be remembered that the Minister stated some time ago that it was his desire to pool all motor taxation inchiding heavy traffic fees. If this is brought about there will be a loss ot about £138,000 to all counties, while some counties will benefit from the maintenance by the State of 4CCQ miles of State, highways by £BO,OOO per annum in road maintenance.

The counties delegation are insistent that the proposals as explained by the Minister are without doubt, whether intentional or not, a violent attack on the county system of local government and the substitution therefor of centralised bureaucratic control.

The county authorities are likely to be bewildered at what appears to lie the conflicting policies, regarding local government.

On one hand the Minister of Internal Affairs is urging and encouraging conn-

ties to amalgamate to ensure, as he thinks, greater efficiency and economy, while the Minister of Public Works in his Highways Bill is proposing legislation that must result, in less efficiency and ultimately complete disintegration of counties.