CONFERENCE OF COUNTIES

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1786, 24 July 1926, Page 5

CONFERENCE OF COUNTIES

DISCUSSED.

CONTROL BOARD PROPOSAL

.. . .REJECTED. , At the New Zealand Counties’ conference in Wellington this week Mr K. W. Dalrymple (Rangitikei) moved that the,Counties;Act-should be amend,*ed .so that'the rate of subsidy from the Main Highways 'Board for maintenance of main highways be based on the principle that the highway that carries the grjeateiupejTcen'tage of foreign traffic shall receive the"'greater percentage of subsidy with a r minimum subsidy of 50 phr' ceriit of the cost in respect of any-htaih highway.' It was remarked by the president that this year The* heavy traffic license fees \yould ...reach., .the vicinity of £4o,ooo;;an<L'ttiht the distribution was being made, whereby the cities and boroughs would receive a certain proportion of that amount. That wa s a very large sum in addition to tyre tax and regulation fees which was being devoted-to highways. He wa« of the opinion: districts where an extraordinary ' 'ahiount of heavy traffic was carried" should'‘.he entitled to a considerable percentage of the amount.

Further’ discussion having taken placeman, amendment to the remit was moved that-the Main Highways Board be requested, to press Parliament for a larger was contended that d,ecent roads were required to enable farmers to get their produce to the railways, and that any question of classification should he left to the Main Highways Board.

A delegate). : stated r that ever since the Main Board was introduced he realised “that there wa/s an honest attempt on the part of the Minister of public Works and the Highways Board to give them something better .than 1 had been the case in the past. , 5 ,1. The amendment' to the remit was carried. .

Mr S. W. ‘ House moved,: “ That the .Government bq-i'rdqilested to consider the appointment Of a traffic control ■board, for the purpose of controlling all vehicular and motor traffic throughout the Dominion, to. supervise the issue of .drivers’.,licenses, to fix speed limits, and generally' to administer the Public Works Amendment Act, 1924, and the, Act, 1924, and all reghiußo'ns made r fliereuinder.” He stated that .there was ,-a. good deal of overlapping which could he avoided if such a hoard was set v up. The chairman: A proposal has already been -m'ade-for 'setting up a motor transport board in' each island. Mr HbUsei'Tf it were, more extensive it would-be very much better. The chairman :r More boards! Mr Houses Nq;-., fgftVejTiboards. Mr Cawkwell—seconded the remit, which was*, defeated by a'large majority. A remit .moved; byTMr C. Matthews (Cook) to amend thetlaw to. provide for regulation.of. the. carriage of luggage bags^on / privatq- cars as well as on cars plying for hire was adopted.