The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1930. A CIVIC BEAR-GARDEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1027, 18 July 1930, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1930. A CIVIC BEAR-GARDEN

\ UCKLAND citizens generally will be disgusted with the notoriety that was imposed last evening on the City Council. Buffoonery usurped the place of business and made the council’s meeting rowdier than a wrestling bout or a boxing contest at the same rendezvous. Indeed, -the meeting collapsed in disorder marked with “catcalls, cheers, hoots and facetious comment from an excited gallery of the public.” Obviously, there are two zoos now in Auckland. One is at the Western Springs and, allowing for initial faults and errors, represents a credit to local government enterprise; the other—a civic bear-garden—is witliin the Town Hall, and in that feature is wholly discreditable. It threatens to become a municipal nuisance.

Since both “shows” are very expensive to tolerant ratepayers, the more intolerable entertainment will have to be purged of its extravagance. Every councillor must realise that the council is excelled only by Parliament itself throughout the whole Dominion for scope of administrative service and scale of expenditure. The municipal administration should not become a rival of the Legislature in the bad habit of wasting time and public money. Every effort at least should be made to prevent a recurrence of tlie disgraceful scene of rowdyism last evening. Of course, it will be retorted that the majority of councillors clearly realise their duties and responsibilities, and honestly try to do their best for the City they govern in a manner that admittedly is not flawless. And it also may be asserted that the main cause of the council’s increasing notoriety is and, for some time past, lias been confined exclusively to two members —• twin brothers in revolt or, to raise them to the height of their passionate intention, comrades in a crusade against inefficiency, suspected maladministration and all sorts of misdeeds apparently even more suspicious to them.

These noisy crusaders are Cr. “Jerry” Lundon and Cr. W. 11. Murray, who undoubtedly command a band of ardent admirers. They both are earnest, eager and extraordinarily voluble. Their speech has an elasticity that can stretch it beyond space and time. They have not acquired the merit of brevity. On occasions they are entertaining and can raise merriment; at other times (to speak with the frankness they employ and enjoy when practising it themselves on others) they merely succeed in being unconscionable bores. Unfortunately they suffer from a strange kind of indigestion, suggesting the results of having indulged too heartily on a diet of dictionary and nightmare arithmetic. So to one of them an ordinary happening appears as “a strange concatenation of unparalleled circumstances,” while to the other the transference of deposited money from one account to another in order to save interest for the City Treasury assumes the appearance of municipal brigandage. It is probably true that in tlie pursuit of their crusade the two councillors, who far too frequently and much too easily can subject the council to a state of siege, have been right occasionally in their quest. May it not be said fairly, however, that, if at such times they have “barked up the right tree,” their barking invariably has been done in the wrong way? If, in their hearts, they believe the municipal administration to be either a “Rookery Nook” or a “Crook Rookery,” why don’t they formulate charges in plain language and press them to a full exposure, instead of trafficking crudely in innuendo and loose indictments? Tlie community is more than tired with their endless assaults upon the probity of other city councillors and the leading municipal officials. Some people may believe that where there is so much smoke there must be some fire, but even alleged incendiarism ceases to be exciting when investigation discloses a series of false alarms. An end should be made to municipal vaudeville and disgraceful rowdyism.

ECONOMY AND RURAL ROADS

AN endeavour to reduce maintenance costs on rural roads is being made by the Hon. W. B. Taverner, Minister of Transport. lie has expressed the opinion that a comprehensive “and reasonable” classification of these roads is necessary, and already, in the South Island, steps have been taken to secure the co-opera-tion of county councils. Provided that the Minister’s proposals do not involve a drastic skimping of constructional and upkeep work, there is no doubt that ready co-operation will be forthcoming from all parts of tlie Dominion for any scheme which promises to lighten the heavy burden of the county ratepayer (particularly in those counties wherein population is light and road mileage relatively heavy) will be welcomed with open arms. But in the meantime the local bodies concerned would be justified in asking Mr. Taverner liow far he intends to go in reducing the standard of rural roads; in other words, wliat is meant by a “reasonable” classification. So far the operations of the Main Highways Board in New Zealand have been more or less limited to arterial roads which have been labelled and dealt with according to traffic requirements. The suggestion is to extend this system beyond the scope of the hoard’s operations to rural roads that are now unclassified. Thus, it is contended, maintenance and constructional costs will be reduced and, at tlie same time, “ample provision will be made for ail reasonable traffic requirements.” Again that elastic word “reasonable” creeps into the Ministerial review of the scheme. Taking the case of the South Island, which has been notoriously laggard in bringing its roading, rural and otherwise, up to the standards of modern requirements, Mr. Taverner has pointed out that over 90 per cent of the roads are open for gross loads up to 10 tons, whereas less than 2 per cent of the motor vehicles now in service are registered for this gross load. On this he bases his contention that there is room for a cutting of annual costs. Wise classification resulting in economy is a good and necessary move. However, this must he achieved without sacrifice, for motor transport cannot be stayed, and it is playing an increasingly important part in the development of New Zealand’s rural communities. It has been made abundantly clear that a great deal of the remarkable expansion of Auckland’s agricultural industries may he attributed to better and speedier transport conditions brought about by superior roading and the extended use of improved motor vehicles. Yet, today, there remain miles of rural roads that are little better than a series of ruts and there are still any number of farmers hampered by conditions almost as primitive as the pioneer’s spinning-wheel. If the economical classification of rural roads can sweep aside this hindrance to progress without weakening existing roading efficiency, the taxand authorities concerned will agree that it has been all too long delayed.