The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1912. THE ROADS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 87, 11 April 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1912. THE ROADS.

In aii, article dealing with, the question of who should pay for roads,.the Auckland “Star” alludes to the agitation for good roads which is sweeping ithrhu'gh the‘ country distripts of, the United States, and goes, on topoint out. that > the- AmericAns have realised that without easy and rapid means of communication neither trade nor settlement, nor intellectual nor social progress, is possible, and they are forcing these facts vigorously upon the attention of •Congress. But though the President and his advisers rocognisd ; fho Tm'mehse advantages ’ secured to the lyhple, community ;hy, good roads, : they hesitate to establish a system of State grants for road-mak-ing. ! All tiro traditions of American local politics are opposed to centralised subsidies, and President Taft was certainly supported by the great hulk of respectable public opinion in America the other day when he uttered a solemn warning against national aid in road-building. The objection urged against such proposals in America is that they would lead straight to political favouritism and corruption. “Is there a member or a Senator,” asks the “World’s Work,” “who would not win favour at home by an appropriation to be spent in his district or State?” It says much for the inherent soundness of American public life that such an argument'as this should be accepted as a conclusive answer to the plea for national subsidies to aid in the construction of roads. Continuing, the “Star” says: “But it must be remembered ' that though the better class of Americans have high political ideals, the standards of public morality in the United States are by no means lofty, and their bitter experiences, of the omnipotence of ‘graft’ in official quarters has taught the American people to suspect any system or policy that would give the political ‘machines’ and bosses a' chance of handling a larger share of the people’s money. ' In our country the conditions are entirely different. It is true that we hear from the ‘Reformers’ now and then violent outpourings against the ‘doles’ and ‘bribes,’ by which terms they choose, to designate the Parliamentary allocations for roads and bridges. But it is to he observed that Mr Massey and his friends never venture to suggest that the whole burden of roadmaking in country districts should he thrown upon the local bodies. They are' content to talk vague generalities about bribery and corruption, while fighting hard for local grants themselves ; hut they leave us in pleasing uncertainty as to • what course they would substitute for flic existing’ system if only they got into office. The truth, of course, is that with a country so sparsely settled and relatively so poor as our own, it is quite impossible’ for the local bodies to pay the full cost of all the roads required. This was clearly recognised by the founders of our 'Public Works system, who accepted road-making as one of the functions of the State; and it can safely he said that without the use of loan moneys for this purpose the progress of settlement' and development would have been put back in this country for an indefinite number

of years. As to the objection widen has inllueneod President tail so strongly, there must always lie dan-

ger of corruption in the expenditure of the public funds, but the abuse -'<■ a system does not necessarily just limits abolition; and we hold that too creation and maintenance ol a hign standard of public morality and too encouragement of active public eiiticism in such matters should he sufficent in the future, as they have generally been in the past in this country, to safeguard the public interests in the distribution of the Public A orbs fund.”