1 !:126. VICTORIA. COUNTRY B()AllD REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1925. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLfAlVIE.XT PUBt:lUANT TO ACT No. 26:)6. ' ; .. [ Oo.<t of Report :-I'repamtion-N ot. given. Printing (350 copies), £184.] !!111 ~uth.o:ntl}. ll,, J, GREEN1 COVERNMENT PRIN'l'ER, MELBOURNlf. No. 8.--[2s. 6o.]-15578. I 11 Melbourne, 31st December, 1925. The Honorable G. L. Goudie, il!I.L.C., 1}:Unister for Public Works, .1llelbourne~ Sm, The Board has the honour to submit to you fo:J; presentation to Parliament the Twelfth Annual Report setting forth the proceedings of the Board for the financial year ending 30th June, 1925, in compliance with the provisions of Bection 73 of the Country Roads Act No. 2635. AMENDING LEGISLATION. The Highways and Vehicles Act No. 3379 passed in December, 1924, became operative during the year, when on the 11th February, 1925, the. main road from Bairnsdale to Wodonga through Bruthen, Omeo, and Tallangatta was declared a State Highway under the designation of the Omeo Highway. From the date mentioned, the financial responsibility for the maintenance of this highway has devolved upon the Board on behalf of the State. The highway passes through the municipal districts of the Shires of Bairnsdale, Tambo, Omeo, Towong, Yackandandah and Wodonga, and although the whole cost of the work of maintenance is borne by the Board, advantage has been taken of the provisions of Sec·tion 8 of the Highways and Vehicles Act to permit of the local municipal authorities carrying out and supervising the work, to which they have readily agreed. A system of continuous maintenance by emplo[Ying permanent patrol gangs and patrol men as advocated by the Board in its First Annual Report, but not adopted by the Municipalities to any appreciable extent, has been inaugurated throughout the whole length of 184 miles' of road with excellent results. The following five (5) additional highways were, selected and approved during the year, but their declaration did not become effective untillst J)lly, 1925, viz. :··- .. Prince's H~qhway.-Traversing the whole length of the State fronlits western boundary near Mount Gambier in South Australia, thence easterly through Port Fairy Warrnambool, Camperdmvn, Colac, Gee long to Melbourne, thence through Dandenong, Warragul, Sale, Bairnsdale and Orbost to the eastern boundary of the State towards Eden in New South "\Vales. Length, 540 miles. North-Eastern Highway.-From Melbourne north-easterly thiough Seymour, Benalla, "\Vangaratta, and '\Vodonga to the Murr:;ty River. Length, 161 miles. North- Westm·n Highway.-From Melbourne north-westerly through K.ynetoil., Castlemaine, Bendigo, Charlton, Sea Lake, and Ouyen to Mildura. I..~ength, 324 miles. Western High~vay.-From Melbourne west~rly through Ballarat, Ara.rat, Stawell, Horsham, and Dimboola to t.he wester;n boundary of the State at Serviceton. Length, 244 miles. · Northern Highway.-From Bendigo northerly through Elmore and Rochester to Echuca. Length, 10 miles. Total length of State Highways, 1,463 miles. Further amending legislation passed during the year-Act No. 3425--relates to the provision of additional loan funds for the construction of main and developmental roads. The most important features of this legislation are that it ensures the provit3ion of fund& for continuous construction of main and developmental roads over a period of five years at the rate of £1,000,000 per annum. Of this sum £150,000 per annum is to be expended in the construction of roads in what are at present sparsely populated and undeveloped areas such as exist in the hill country of Gippsland, and in the Kingl~r1ke, Tolmie and Otway districts, without any contribution from the local councils. 4 The areas referred to were originally heavily timbered and have been only partiallycoccupied and improved since they were made available for settlement between 30 and 40 years ago. They are eminently suitable for dairying and for the gro.v""th of root crops, but owing to the heavy annual rainfall, which is well distributed throughout the year, and to the broken nature of the country, road-making is costly and quite beyond the financial resources of districts in their early stages of development. By the approved expeliditure of £150,000 per annum, it is anticipated that confidence will be restored and that a permanent and prosperous closer settlement wiH result, without imposing any additional financial burden on existing settlers or on the local authorities. THE CHAIRMAN'S VISIT ABROAD. In view of the proposed expenditure of further large sums of State funds on road construction in this State, the Chairman of the Board was authorized by the Government to proceed to Europe and America to investigate the road problem and particularly to examine the methods of construction and maintenance adopted in those countries to meet the demands of modern traffic and to provide for rural development. The results of his investigations are embodied in a comprehensive report to the Government, copies of which have been supplied to every municipal body in the State having the care and management of roads. It is satisfactory to record the fact that the system laid down by this Board at its inception for providing roads for the development of the rural districts of this State, both as regards types of construction and gradients, are in accordance with the best methods adopted abroad. · A RETROSPECT. When the Board entered upon its duties twelve years ago it selected the eastern portion of the State as being the most necessitous for the commencement of operations ; the reasons for this, accompanied by graphic photographs of the then existing road conditions, were clearly set out in the Board's First Annual Heport presented to Parliament. Amongst the reasons advanced, apart from the pitiable condition of the settlers, were the fertility of the soil, the comparatively small holdings, and the stable climatic conditions, wbch, together, would enable the country to more rapidly respond to expenditure in road construction, and that in consequence the State generally would reap a greater and quicker return from the expenditure contemplated. That this forecast is already within some. measure of realization is indicated by a return furnished by the Government Statistician showing an increase in capital values of land and property based upon the municipal valuations in that territory during the period under review of £28,000,000, whi~e the expenditure in road construction during the same period amounted to only £3,342,000. It would.perhaps be too much to claim that the whole of this great increase in capital values is due solely to road construction, but, inasmuch as apart from the activities of the State Hivers and Water Supply Commission which are destined to effect a wonderful improvement in values in the Ma:ffra district, but which are not yet sufficiently advancer!. to materially affect the aggregate of valuations of so large ~an area as that under review, and as other State activities involving State expenditure have not been of such magnitude that they would greatly increase capital values, it may be fairly assumed that the roads already constructed or improved and in course of construction, together with the programme outlined for the next five (5) years, have been a very material factor in contributing to the results certified to by the Statistician. In this connexion the work of the Gippsland Shires and Boroughs Developmental Association has been very valuable and helpful. Formed originally with a view to collecting, for presentation to the Government, data concerning the requirements of the province, including the improvement of means of transport for settlers by roads and the disabilities of the settlers, the Association adopted the telling phrase " Neglected Gippsland " as its slogan, and it has succeeded so well in its efforts that now every conceivabJe subject relative to the welfare and advancement of the territory is remitted to the Annual Conference of the Association for discussion. The Association has at all times been prepared to seek from, as well as to give advice to, lihe various authorities cqJ;lCerning measures and means having for their object t.he development of Gippsland, and the prevaiJing prosperity and optimism are in a great measure due to its active propagandism. Certain it is that the general atmosphere of pessimism and despair that existed 5 throughout the territory when the Board made a detailed investigation of its road requirements twelve years ago has almost disappeared, and has been succeeded by a feeling of confidence and hope for the future. The principal works that have contributed to these improved conditioilll embrace- 1. The general improved condition and construction in sections of the Main Gippsland Road, now known as the eastern section of the Prince's. Highway. This road is now trafficable at all seasons of the year to the eastern border of the State, a distance of 296 miles, and further extensive improvements necessitated by· the increasing traffic are in progress throughout its entire length. PLATES Nos. 1 and 2. Showing Restored Section of Princes Highway. 2. The Main South Gippsland Road passing through Cranbourne, Kommburra Leongatha, and Foster. Up to the present the road 'has been constmcted as far easterly as Meeniyan, a distance of. 75 miles. FU:rther easterly to Foster extensive works are in progress which are expected to be completed during next summer. , ·· · · ·· · · · · (j 3. The Point N epean Road from lVIoorabbin through Mordialloc, Frankston, Momington and Dromana to Sorrento, and the Flinders Road. from Frankston ·through Somerville and Hastings, which have been practically re-constructed thorughout. These works have been responsible for the rapid extension of the residential area between Mordialloc and Frankston and for the increased popularity of the Peninsular both as a residential and productive area, resulting in capital values increasing from £5,070,260 in 1913 to £13,943,604 in 1925.