Established 1875 Manawatu Times. THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 1883. THE ROADS CON-TRUCTION ACT.

Manawatu Times, Volume VIII, Issue 335, 9 August 1883, Page 2

Established 1875 Manawatu Times.

THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 1883. THE ROADS CON-TRUCTION ACT.

' WorJs «re t'li'j.r'. :«n«i :i <l'ii[: of ii:k I :l"wi lilu Ap.'.v iiticn :i t ■•i«ii»<jl: 4 |iiv!...i-- It *. wli/-h nwfco' i.lioi!«ir.ils jvi-'j.-.- ..•ii.r.iii:'- :•■:)■''■:''

In tin House on Tuesday last, an important matter affecting tin- Roads aiitl ;B ridges Construction Act was floalb; with. It « ill be rpnieniberud that a few .days'.a-g.i a CommittcjH was :,ip|>oiiited to onq.uiro into tho working* of that Act. At the time it was alleged that Government had .secured Ihe appointioeiifc. of this Committee as v " bnffur." But be that as it- may it seems not improi*' bable that the result of other deliberations may be to change considerably the- bearing of the Act. On Tuesday the Committee brought up an interim report, to this effect : — - " Main roads are those which connect two or more counties or road districts, ov, -where ihere are no rpac]

boards, tuo riding's of a county, or which connect a ccuntrv district ■with a })ort. The Committee furflier directs me (the '"h.'.irmau) to ask ihe Houso for au extension of the order <»f roferonce, ho as ro en^ a'>le the Committee to review the wholo of the roads gazetted last session as main road!), with a view to recommending a uew schedule m accordance with the to solution of the Committee, and Ihe opinion of the iSurvinor-Gruneral a" to what are main roads," A somewhat acrimunious debate ensued as tc the; pro; 0 al. Mr Eutto:s said it. v/as desirable to put some check on tlie disgraceful scramble for main roads which took place nt the end of last session, when additional roads wore hurriedly plneed on the schedule after the Bill had passed the third reading. The Committee desired power to review the roads placed on the schedule last yeai', some counties having twenty to thirty roads pi need on as main road-.' Captain McKenzie thought' local bodies wen* the only parties en 111---potent--to say what ought to bema.in roads, but it is evident this wrnU! be a most unsafe prin-oiplo to accept, n-i the local .bodies would lijtt.ll rail v declare m-arly. every road a mai-i one, m order tivget the extra, beneiifs those roads receive compared with district roa«!s. Mlijor Atkinson supported the motion, while Mr yetjdun said -the Committee fv't. after coining to a definition of main roads," that- unless they could also review the schedule of last year, their definition might not operate f ai r! y all round . The Act was not intended to apply to all roads m n, rlistrict ; and unless main roads could 1)3 defined properly and fairly, tho Act must break down, lie believed the Committee's recommendation would be found of great assistance m •working the Act. Several other members Hpoke as to the necessity of the roads scheduled last year being reviewed, while Mr Smith, the Waipawa member, said the Act had been swamped and the Committee should complete their inquiring by revising lasc year's schedule* The debate was interrupted by the arrival of the dinner hour, but will of 'course be resumed m ■the usual course. The dplnLn of the House is very plainly that the Act was abused last year, and we J shall not be surprised if some of the roads scheduled 1 ast year are struck out. -.