DOMINION’S ROADS

Southland Times, Issue 20489, 17 May 1928, Page 6

DOMINION’S ROADS

STATE ACTIVITIES OPERATIONS OF PAST FEW YEARS REVIEW BY PRIME MINISTER (Per United Press Association.) Paparoa, May 16. How the State is assisting in improving the Dominion’s roading systems was mentioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Coates, at Paparoa to-night when he quoted figures covering the operations of the past few years. Mr Coates said that in less than four years the Main Highways Board had assisted in the construction of 450 miles of metal roads, 240 miles of tar and bituminous surfaced roads, 27 miles of concrete roads and over four miles of bridges. The expenditure during the same period, including the amount estimated for 1927-28, was nearly £3,250,000, maintenance taking £1,442,000 and construction £1,784,000. In addition, the local authorities had found £870,000 for maintenance and £725,000 for construction, making a total of £2,330,000 spent on maintenance and £2,500,000 on construction on the 6,400 miles of main highways. The grand total expenditure had been, therefore, £4,800,000 or about £1,250,000 a year. Highways work could be considerably accelerated by the petrol tax. Mr Coates continued:—lt was anticipated that the Highways Board would spend between £BOO,OOO and £900,000 this year on the maintenance of the primary and subsidiary main highways and also a similar amount on construction work. Recommendations were also' being made for the addition of a further 800 miles to be 2,750 miles of subsidary roads which had been declared main highways. The Prime Minister mentioned that main roads through all boroughs having less than 6,000 inhabitants had been declared to be main highways so that from now on 10,000 miles of the country’s roading system had been brought under the benefit of the board’s operations. Nevertheless, there were still about 35,000 miles of road which had to be maintained by the general taxpayer and counties without assistance from the motorists. The Prime Minister said that the petrol tax would also enable the board to give better subsidies to counties adjacent to large centres of a population which suffered from heavy motor traffic. The board had already approved subsidies of £3 per £1 for construction of high class surfacing in the vicinity of Christchurch, Wanganui, Nelson and Hastings. Other schemes for improving the roads of the Dominion were in process of development and the board was taking the initiative in the preparation of such schemes in districts immediately surrounding all centres of over 6,000 inhabitants. Mr Coates added that during the past four years the nett expenditure by the Government on the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges other than main highways had been £2,698,280. Of this amount no less than £2,466,602 had been spent on construction.