HONOURING A PLEDGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1929, Page 8

HONOURING A PLEDGE.

It is satisfactory from every point of view that the Ministry has decided to honour the pledge given to motorists by its predecessor. The Prime Minister has intimated that contributions by the State to the funds of the Main Highways Board will be made this year in accordance with the Act under which the board was created, and in keeping with the promises made by the Ministry which placed the Act in the Statute Book. The sum . involved was the fairly subslantial one of £235,000, and it is obvious that had the board’s funds been reduced by this amount its programme of work must have been severely curtailed. It had been asserted that £200,000 would be made available as a loan instead of a grant, but this could hardly be described as keeping faith, and it is a good thing the proposal has been dropped. The attitude of motorists was perfectly reasonable. Heavy taxation had been agreed to by them on the definite understanding that funds so( provided would be used for the establishment and maintenance of good roads, and, further, that as the highways are open to all traffic, the State should bear’ its share of their cost. Any departure from this understanding could only be brought about fairly by fresh negotiations based upon the financial needs of the Dominion. Tho action said to have been contemplated by Sir Joseph Ward had not fulfilled this condition, and it is no surprise that the suggestion of the State failing to keep its part of the bargain drew vehement protests from all users of motor vehicles. It must be remembered that much of the motor

transport on the highways of the Dominion is purely utilitarian. The charges made through special taxation have added very considerably to the costs of motor transport, but they have been accepted as part of a bargain made with the Government of the day, and. because the necessity for good roads made- it worth while making an effdrt to provide the funds for their establishment and maintenance. If the statements made by the Prime Minister from time to time were uttered in order to test the opinion of the motorists they certainly succeeded in their object. Protests were made public from one end of New Zealand to the other, and it is highly satisfactory that they have had the desired effect.