9*

D.—l

The cost of restoration of flood damage is as follows:— £ Gisborne District .. .. .. .. .. .. 46,100 Napier District .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 122,032 Grey mouth District .. .. .. .. .. .. 20,503 Nelson District .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10,433 Local bodies' (estimated) share .. .. .. .. .. 5,000 £204,068 Charges in connection with the renewal of bridges lost on the East Coast of the North Island during the flood have still to be met, and when the total cost of the damage is assessed it will be found to be little short of the total damage during the Murchison and Napier earthquakes, when the cost of restoration of highways was £280,000. The sealing of highways, particularly the arterial routes, should result in a general reduction of maintenance-costs, and the downward trend should, before long, become evident. There are, however, several factors operating in the meantime to offset the accrued benefits. These factors may be summarized as follows : — (1) Although sealing saves the surface wear, much of the formation is still very " green " and will take a year or two in which to stabilize. In the meantime, due to the accelerated programme, more than the normal quantity of slips may be expected. (2) There is 77 per cent, of the highway system unsealed, and with the ever-increasing number of vehicles operating increased expenditure can be expected on gravelled surfaces until such time as the motor-vehicle-saturation point is reached. The proportion of motor-vehicles to population is now one to five, the number of vehicles having increased from 287,350 to 305,828 during the year. (.3) The local bodies, having been relieved of the trunk routes, are concentrating, as far as their funds will permit, on improved maintenance on the highway feeder routes, with consequent increased subsidy payments from the Board. (4) During sealing operations it is necessary to intensify maintenance where there is any delay between the time of completion of the metal surface and the application of the bituminous material, and, of course, the greater the programme in any one year, the greater will be the maintenance in this direction. A regulation providing for reduction of speeds during reconstruction is urgently required. (5) With the taking-over of the State highways, many sections on which reseals and smoothing coats were overdue were given attention. Considering the system as a whole, there has been a general all-round improvement in road surfaces. The great majority of complaints have referred to the unpleasant conditions experienced by motorists during reconstruction. Most motorists, however, recognize that these conditions are temporary and unavoidable, and that it is only a matter of exercising a little care and patience when travel comfort will be greatly increased. Too much cannot be said in deprecation of that small section of motorists who " hog " the road at all times. They are a danger to themselves and other road-users. They are most unfair to the workmen, and have no regard for the Board's equipment, their own machines, or any extra construction costs which their action might entail.

Table 1.—Maintenance of Main Highways (including Bridges).

131

Expenditure. Average per Mile per Annum. UMiway District. Ma^t " a fned. Board Total . 8 8 $? ( £ £ i S ' £ % j S g ties. 00 t— e« I lfs -*n CO I ■ <M rH (i OS CO CO S CO CO CO | CO CO I CO <N 2 OJ Jh j os o» I c» ■ cs c» os OS M. oh. £ . £ £ ££££££££££ 1. Auckland North 825 25 72,430 10,672 83,102 100-7115-1 93• 2 110-1 97-9 71-6 61-2 79-2 83-4 115-7 2. Auckland South 1,452 72 160,391 27,312 187,703 129-2126-2 119-3 181-4 141-1 124-6 106-9 145-3 175-8 214-3 3. Tauranga .. 718 33 110,308 3,749 114,057 158-8128-4 84-3 153-1 87-1 72-9 61-9 70-7 80-4 90-7 4. Gisborno .. 394 25 97,167 7,907 105,074 266-5215-2 182-9 178-1 164-9 106-4 96-3 117-3 163-5 189-5 5.Napier .. 737 66 195,282 15,441 210,723 285-6 99-6 82-4 138-9 117-7 81-4 79-3 75-9 121-2 146-7 6. King-country .. 602 25 61,946 6,126 68,072 113-0 95-3 116-5 89-2 99-7 70-8 57-1 70-0 85-8 115-7 7. Taranaki .. 473 20 53,114 4,678 57,792 122-1 94-7 104-1 123-4 102-5 83-8 84-5 125-2 136-0 172-8 8. Wanganui .. 530 25 77,093 6,229 83,322 157-1152-5 115-9 122-0 87-5 80-8 66-0 101-0 126-7 176-1 9. Wellington West 503 71 45,182 8,065 53,247 105-7102-9 121-9 164-1 124-7 106-0 110-8 149-8 179-0 224-3 10. Wellington East 504 39 35,338 9,522 44,860 88-9 89-4 108-0 175-3 181-3 114-9 91-4 128-6 141-6 159-0 Totals, North Island 6,743 01 908,251 99,701 1,007,952 149-5119-7 109-0 143-2 118-3 91-3 .81-0 104-5 124-8 155-8 11. Nelson .. 696 36 69,377 6,167 75,544 108-5 99-2 80-3 116-8 101-1 74-1 66-6 103-6 82-0 112-8 12. WestCoast .. 543 14 79,992 5,483 85,475 157-4145-5 141-8 214-5 142-6 110-8 104-1 136-7 122-4 166-8 13. Canterbury North 364 10 27,319 3,193 30,512 83-8 92-8 64-3 62-8 55-7 58-3 50-0 55-4 72-6 99-7 14. Canterbury Central 750 41 45,008 8,431 53,439 71-2 63-1 54-6 81-1 55-2 50-9 50-2 76-5 75-2 77-3 15. Canterbury South 822 58 40,811 7,130 47,941 58-3 52-6 54-0 96-7 66-9 59-3 67-0 78-7 88-0 89-6 16. Otago Central .. 843 50 49,035 7,037 56,072 66-5 53-8 49-5 70-1 75-1 50-3 46-4 52-8 36-4 73-9 17. Otago South .. 523 74 44,431 6,204 50,635 96-6 76-5'" 62-8 97-8 84-6 73-8 72-8 99-5 90-8 108-1 18. Southland .. 918 57 47,116 9,384 56,500 61-5 74-8 57-2 57-1 53-9 44-4 41-6 43-2 58-7 57-9 Totals, South Island 5,463 20 403,089 53,029 456,118 83-5 77-9 67-5 96-2 77-6 62-7 60-3 77-4 75-8 94-1 Totals, Dominion .. 12,200'21 1,311,340152,730 1,464,070 119-9101-2 90-5 122-4 100-3 78-5 70-7 92-5 103-1 128-6