MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1925, Page 11

MOTOR AND CYCLE.

GOOD ROADS. AND HOW IO PAY FOR THEM. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN METHODS. Drivers methods of financing road construction are in operation in various parts of the world. In his informative report on road problems in Europe and America the chairman of the Victorian Country Roads Board (Mr. Calder)' describes these methods. In Victoria until quite recently practically all money, spent on roads was loan money. The exceptions were rates by local councils for local road purposes. Now some revenue is being derived from taxes on motor buses in the metropolitan area, and motor transport generally throughout the State. The motor vehicle is inevitably interwoven with the whole question of road finance. Mr. Caldei* found this in the countries visited. The reason for this is obvious. As he states it: “No nation or country can now afford to be without some means of efficient transport, and it would be difficult to find an individual who will not agree that it is urgently necessary to expend funds for the primary avenues of transport, efficient roads, etc., . everyone agrees the expenditure is necessary, each individual is equally of opinion that the ‘other fellow’ should pay.” Mr. Calder considers that the following interests benefit by road improvement:—Trade interests, the farmer, market gardener, all agricultural interests and the road users generally, through reduction in the cost of transport; the city dweller through increased values of city and suburban properties; educational and social, and touring interests, benefit directly or indirectly; therefore each and every individual in ithe country benefits, and each should contribute his share. It then remains to assess the burden equitably. GREAT BRITAIN’S METHODS. tMr. Calder adds:—“The proportion assessable to these different interests depends upon the stage of development of the State. In an old settled country, such as Great Britain, with a highly developed road system and a dense population, and with practically the whole of its main roads in a condition such as to afford a service to the travelling public, the latter pays a substantial proportion of the cost of their upkeep, amounting last year to about £11,77*2,000 The expenditure in 1923 on main roads was £12,800,000. Grants made, that is from the Ministry of Transport, amounted to £5,475,000, the balance ....... .Roads cost money, and while i being raised by the county councils from rates amounting to £7,385,000. In addition to these classified main roads on which the whole of the fees from motor taxation (£11,772,000) are expended, there are approximately 230,000 miles of unclassified public roads, maintained by local bodies with the aid of grants to rural district councils, which in 1923 amounted to £l, 500,000, of which £250,000 was for Scottish roads.” The authorities levying rates for highway purposes are county councils, county and metropolitan borough councils, urban and urban district councils. In some of the English counties the rate in the pound for highway purposes alone is as high as 6s. Mr. Calder considers it a matter for surprise that these hug© sums are being expended on road improvement (in--19211-22, £4l ,€53,>344 was expended on roads and bridges) considering the burden of taxation under which the British taxpayer is struggling. But they appear to have reached the limit of their resources, and there is a- justifiable agitation from nbuntrv and rural authorities for some portion of the burden to be apportioned to the general taxpayer by means of Government grants towards maintenance. He considers the'problem in England at the present time is similar to that in Victoria, where the shire councils are unable to supply the funds for the adequate maintenance of main roads. AMERICAN METHODS. In America the funds for road purposes are derived from the special or general State-wide taxation; appropriation from general or regular funds; State bonds; automobile revenue; gasolene taxation and other special funds. In 1922, 21,187,000 dollars was received from the highway tax. About sixteen States appropriated sums from the general revenue, the total being 30,082,000 dollars. The State roads bonds are equivalent to our loan funds. Tn 1922 eighteen States issued these bonds, the sum available from them being 108,700,000. dollars. The gasolene tax had been adopted by thirty-five States, and the total revenue from motor taxation, including this tax, in 1922, was 275.031,000 dollars. In the same year highway construction and maintenance funds available for expenditure amounted to 690,000,000 dollars, of which sum 125,000,000 dollars was received from the Federal Government for State-aid roads. State funds from various sources amounted to 275000,000 dollars, and county -and local funds, 271.000,000 dollars. Last year 07,000,000 dollars was appropriated out Of Federal funds, and authority had been given for the appropriation this year of 75,000,000 dollars. -In addition, 6,5’00,000 dollars is to be appropriated for forest roads and trails. These funds are to be expended on main arterial roads (State roads). The percentage of Federal /aid is not to exceed 7 per cent of the total mileage in any one ‘State. The Canadian metrod is similar in essential particulars to the United States method. Tn 1’922, 50,000,000 dollars was expended in highways construction maintenance.

AERIAL MOTORS.

The aeronautical correspondent of the Dally Chronicle, who has been responsible for announcing most of the “sensational” developments in the air during the last few years, now declares that a new era in flying is about to open with the mass production of small two-seater aeroplanes, which will bring aerial travel

within reach of the tradesman. He declares that Mr. Philip Wrigley, the chewing-gum magnate, and Mr. Marshall Field, multi-millionaire, both of Chicago, are about to join 'Mr. Henry Ford and his son Edsel in the produetion of these aerial “flivvers” by the thousand, revolutionising all previous notions of popular transport. The other day, in trial flights, a pilot flew a long distance at a cost less than half that of rail transport. Mass production of simplified machines, carrying a couple of people, the experts now say, will be possible at astonishingly Jow prices. Such craft, built of metal, will have long working lives, and will be so easy to manoeuvre that they will hop in and out of quite small fields.

This air-flyiboat, it is declared, will be used in a short time by boys from farms in delivering perishable products by air in cities two or three hundred miles away. We shall see the winged grocer in rural parts. Our Sunday joint may come to us by way of the air. Salesmen are now sending inquiries daily to Detroit, where the air factory is situated, asking how soon it may be before they can buy their cheap ears of the air, in which to make tours with samples. Some commercial travellers in the Far West, whose rounds cover thousands of miles, propose to fly these trips. Air machines of a size and power never before contemplated are in design. Just built and flown is a first big “air lorry,” with a body like that of a ec.nimercial motor-lorry. A transport-plane to carry a load of 15 tons is being built by the Junkers firm. Great steamship combines, determined that their mail contracts shall not be taken away from" them by high-speed air lines, are now proposing to build and operate airship fleets of their own.

Air experts have just worked out the cost of a trans-Atlantic airship fare at £125, but transport authorities declare that the speed of great airships, reducing long journeys by one-third, will, combined with their luxury, enable fares much higher than this to be charged. The first trans-oeean air liners are to carry 30 travellers, each with a separate state-room.