MAIN HIGHWAYS FINANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1929, Page 8

MAIN HIGHWAYS FINANCE.

Regarded as a protest against the growth of bureaucracy, there is much to be said for the view taken by the member for Egmont (Mr. C. A. Wilkinson) regarding the control of funds provided for the functions of Main Highways Board. As'Mr. Wilkinson pointed out, a very large sum is raised for highways purposes by special taxation. While it is admitted that the revenue from these taxes forms no part of the general funds of the Dominion the fact remains that it is revenue from taxation, and a very important principle in British rule is that only the representatives of the people taxed shall control the expenditure of the money thus provided. It is a principle that has not always received the emphasis its importance demands, and it is well for the country that some of its public men are drawing attention to the drift from it aud others democratic principles, for the sake of apparently more efficient administration. At the same time, the highways taxes were agreed to by motorists on the definite understanding that they would be applied to the formation and maintenance of good roads. The fact that the revenue would be administered by the Highways Board, and not by the Treasury, was need as showing that the proposed highways administration was to be entirely nonpolitical. Its personnel was to be composed largely of technical experts with the chief engineer of the Public Works department as chairman. As roading is intimably connected with other public works, the arrangement seemed an admirable one, and from the engineering point of view there seems to have been little to cavil at in the manner in which the board has functioned. The suggestion made this year to eliminate the Government grant for highways, although it came to naught, is an in" dication of what might happen were the control of highways finance left solely in the hands of a Minister of Finance. How to maintain the principle of public control of revenue from taxation and still keep., it non-political is the problem, nor docs there seem any immediate solution available.