DISGRACEFUL NUN ROADS

Waikato Times, Volume 84, Issue 13208, 25 June 1915, Page 6

DISGRACEFUL NUN ROADS

SUGGESTED COUNTY CONTROL. THE SELFISH MOTORIST. At a special meeting of the Waikato County Council, yesterday, Cr Roes moved:—"That this council is in favour of taking over the control of the main roads of the county, provided (1) that adequate assistance can be obtained from the Government towards constructing the said roads, and (2) tha,t the ratepayers give their consent to the raising of the share required to be contributed by the county. Waikato, said Mr Ross, was the most, important farming district in the province, and Hamilton was one of the most prosperous inland towns in the Dominion. The roao 1 leading from the district to the port was nothing like it should be and it was really disgraceful that this main connecting link from Auckland to the South should have been left in its present state so long. The question was really a national one. and should be dealt with as such. The road in the summer months carried a tremendous amount of motor traffic but it was in no better condition than if it were a by-road, and as the settlers' interests did not lie there, the question would not be tackled as it should be by the road boards. Tha Government would never take over control of the main roads, though they might be persuaded to pay a substantial portion of the cost of properly constructing them, gj Cr T. Paterson *aid the settlers would never consent to be specially rated for the upkeep of these roads. The people in the back districts had sanctioned special loans to metal the by-roads to enable them to get to the railway, and the main road was sea cely ever used by them. There would aiso be difficulties in defining the main roads, and unless an agreement could be come to between the various counties on this question, there would always be trouble. The chairman, Mr J. P. Bailey, said the settlers would not tolerate a new loan for metalling the main road. The people who had the greatest use of the highway, and who were responsible for its present terrible state, were the motorists, the men who absolutely refused to agree to a tax for the upkeep of the reads. The motorists were the most selfish class in the country. Nine out of ten were wealthy mer, who were all the time trying to shoulder the taxation upon other people. New Zealand was the only country where the motorist was net compelled to pay a road tax. This would always be so while the wealthy classes had a say in the matter. Crs Newell and Primrose considered there were great difficulties in the way of the proposal. They pointed out that the setttlers in the Cambridge road district, who had already paid heavy taxes to put their own roads in good condition, would never agree to financing the settlers at the Huntly end of the county to construct their roads also. After a little further discussion it was decided to allow the motion to stand over until after the conference to be hqld at Tauniarunui next month, on the question of nationalising the highways of the Dominion. The chairman was appointed delegate to the conference.