1952-53 VICTORIA COUNTRY R01-\DS 'fHl1{1,Y-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1952. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMEXT PURSUANT TO ACT Xo. 3662. iApproximale Cm~t of Rerwrt.~t•repnrution, ndt. given. Printiul! (1,0.)8 copies), t,;,~;).j !le J\ utl\orittl: W. M. HOCSTON, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBO!:RNE. No. l5.-[3s. 3d.J-48lf53. COUNTRY ROADS BOARD THIRTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT 1952 CONTENTS Page FINANCE-~ Revenue Fund!' 7 Funds for Unclassified Roads 8 Receipts from }iotor· Registration Fees 8 Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1950 10 'l'otal 'Works Allocations 10 MAIN RoAD>->- Allocation of .Funds 10 Apportionment of Costs 11 Principal \Vorks 13 STAT!i: HIGHWAYS- Restricted Allocation of Funds 21 Works in Progress 23 TmJRIST<"'' RoADS 27 FOREST RoADS 27 UNCLASSIFIED RoADS- Applications from .Municipalities 29 Allocation of Funds 29 Isolated Settlers' Roads 29 BRIDGES-- Rate of Reconstruction 2f! Metropolitan Bridges~­ Swan-street (Yarra River) ill Bell-street (Darebin Creek) 31 Bell-street (Merri Creek) 31 :vielbourne-I<'ootscray Hoad 31 Northern Metropolitan Bridges-- Albion-street (Moonee Ponds Ct·eek) 31 Moreland-road \Vest (Moonee Ponds t't~Jck) 31 Ar·thurton-road (Meni Creek) 31 ('unntry Bridges-- (1assidy's Bridge over }lerri Rivd· (Warrnambooi-Caramut. Road) :n Swift's Creek Bridge (Omeo Highway) 31 Bridge u,·er Yackandandah Creek. Kiewa Valley R-oad 31 FJ,OOD AND Bc>->H l<'IRE DAMAGE­ Government Assistance S3 Funds allocated to Munieipalities 83 Provision for future emergencies 33 Landslip-i''orrest-Apollo Bay Road 36 List of Hoads damaged by floods 3tl \VORK:-3 C'AU,RIED OU1-' FOI1 OTHER A VTHOB-ITIE:»-­ State Electricity Commission 39 Housing Commission 39 Soldier Settlement Commi.ssion 89 .M.elbourne and Metropolitan Board of \\'orks 39 State Hivers and Water Supply Commission 39 Forests Commission 40 Public ·works Depa,r1ment 40 Gas and Fuel Corporation .. 40 Department of Lands and Survey 40 Victorian Inland Meat, Authoritv 40 G-rain Eleva•ors Board · 40 State Coal Mine 40 Commonwealth Government-Department of \Vorks 40 SoLDIER SBTTLE'MENT ESTATE ROADS~ Co-operation by Municipalities 41 Works in Pmgress 41 BRIDGE INSPECTIONS- Engineer's functions and equipment .. 45 6 Page DECE"'TRALIZATION-- Development of Divisional organization­ Bairnsdale 45 Ballarat 45 Benalla 45 Bendigo 45 Dandenong 47 Geelong n Horsham 47 Traralgon 47 Warrnambool .. ·17 PROPERTY-DRG:MMOND-STREET, CARLTON­ Purchase by Board 47 PHOTOGRAPHY- C.R.B. Mobile Film Unit 48 Screening of films for various bodies 4S Films completed 48 ROAD MATERIALS- Development of local deposits 48 Contract for mineral aggregate at Emu (Avoea ltiver) 48 )'fATEHIALS RESEARCH-- Investigation of pavement thiekness 41! CONTROL OF HEAVY TRAFFIC- Issue of permits to vehicle owners 49 RESTRIC"l'ION OF LOADING ON ROADi:l- lmposition of 6-ton limit 49 PURCHAilE OF PLANT 4U TRAFFIC Lnm MAR,JGNU 50 TRAFFIC 0FFE"'CES--MOTOR CA!t AcTS 50 Total fines imposed 50 Liaison with New South \Vales 51 CONFERENCE OF 8TATioi ROAD A.UTHORITLES, 1951-­ Matters discussed .. 51 Committe<• organizat,ion 51 CONE'ERENCJ<: o:F MUNICIPAL B]NGDIE"R8, 11!52 51 NEW LEGISLATION- Motor Car Act HJ51 (No. 5Ulli) 51 VItiiTil FROM OVERSEAS ENGINEERS­ Commonwealth Technical Co-operation Seheme 53 DEVELOPJ\fENT OJ;' 'l'RAFFlC AHTERms­ Land aC(luisition 5:3 Locnl aovernrnent ( Strecls) Ad I!J4S sa Action taken lo fix alignments of roads 53 PETROL TAX Dn>TRlRFl'IO:'l'-· Inequitabhl distribution to Vietoria .. 54 Hepresentations at Pren1iers' Conference 54 RoAD PLANNINli-- Rate of Reconst l'Uct.ion 55 EXPERIMENTAl, \\TORK- Treatment of Slippery Pavement AcCIDENTS TO EMPLOYEES 56 STAFF 56 STAPF ACTIVITIES~­ Charities Fund 57 MOTOR REGISTRATION-· Number of vehicles registered 57 Concessions to Primary Producers 57 ACCOUNTS- Expenditure on roa<l construction and maintenance, &c. 58 Expenditure on works for other Departments, &c. 58 Expenditure on flood and bush fire damage 58 OFFICERS AND E~IPLOYEEF: 58 AcKNOWLEDGMENTS 58 APPENDICES-- Chief Engineer's Report 59 Statement of Accounts- Receipts and Payments Works executed for other Authorities Loan Liability COUNTRY ROADS BOARD THIRTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT Exhibition Building, Carlton, N.3. 22nd December, 1952. The Honorable S. M.errijield, M.L.A., Minister of Public Works, Department of Public Works, 1Vlelbourne, 0.2. SIR, In accordance "ith the requirements of Section 96 of the Country Roads Act 1928 (No. 3662), the Board has the honour to submit to you, for presentation to Parliament, a report of its proceedings for the year ended 30th June, 1952. FINANCE. The year 1951-52 was notable for a lamentable shortage of funds with which to deal with sharply rising costs and meet the urgent needs of the State's road system, and it is regrettable that, from circumstances quite beyond its control, it was necessary for the Board to considerably restrict its allocations of funds for works both under the supervision of municipal councils and under its own direct control. As a result of the financial stringency relating to road funds there is a progressive and serious deterioration of road pavements and bridges over the highway system of the State. The position is reaching a critical stage and unless a substantial increase in road funds is made available the extensive failures occurring along the State highways and main roads must eventually lead to a serious dislocation of road transport facilities. Lightly constructed pavements are breaking up because reconstruction cannot be undertaken and in addition many old sections of bituminous pavements have passed the end of their economic life. Transport conditions are thus rendered difficult with excessive cost in both road. maintenance and vehicle operation. (Plates Nos. l, 2, and 3.) Hundreds of weak old timber bridges must be replaced. Many of these have load limits with consequent restriction on transport and are too narrow for today's traffic. (Plate No. 4.) Load limitations on sections of important routes must remain because funds are not available to carry out the necessary strengthening work. Inability to proceed with an essential reconstruction programme must seriously increase the cost and magnitude of works in future years. As the financial position deteriorated during the year, works had to be closed down or eliminated from the original programme in order to keep expenditure within the limits of the Board's resources. As indicated in the 38th Annual Report, the total allocation by the Board for the financial year 1950-51 was the largest in the Board's history, and the total road expenditure of £5,362,023 also exceeded all previous figures. .Many of the councils, whilst not being able to actually complete the whole of their programmes, had entered into large commitments which had to be provided for in the new financial year, and, following the record allocation, it was not surprising that the total of commitments carried forward to the 1951--52 financial year reached the substantial amount of £2,641,189. This amount was a first charge upon the funds available for the new financial vear, and, as efforts to obtain additional funds for the Board had proved to be unavailing, it was inevitable that the allocations for the new financial year would need to be considerably reduced. 8 This restriction of fundt:~ for new worh was most severely felt in relation to unclassified roads, as it was found to be impossible to make an allocation for new works, whilst only limited amounts could be provided for the maintenance of such. roads. This was a considerable set-back to many municipal councils which had built up extensive direct labour organizations on the strength of the substantial allocation of prev!ous ti. an•;iaJ years. ln order to make the position clear to the municipalities generally, a specral statement prepared by the Board and covered by an explanatory letter by the .Minister of Public \V orks was circulated to all ,,mmcils throughout the State on the 11th January, 1952. 'fhis statement laid stress upon the following matters :- 1. The estimate(l amount available to the Poard for the financial year 1951-52 (inclusive of loan moneyR) was £l,S91,000 more than the previous year. 2. On the other hand, reserveR which had accumulated during the war years were now depleted, the balance at the 1st July, 1950 (£1,132,000), having shrunk to £17:3,000 at the 1st July, 1951, a reduction of £959,000. 3. The net increase in funds for 1951-52 was thus only £332,000, which was more than offset by increased purchases of plant, higher interest charges, &c., which absorbed approximately £600,000 more than in the previous year. 4. Applications for grants for all types of works on all classes of roads had increased from £11,567,492 in 1950-51 to £15,543,701 in 1951-52, an increase of 34 per cent., whereas the estimated receipts had .increased by only 4 per cent. over the receipts for the financial year 1950-51. The receipts from motor registration fees and fines and drivers' licence fees paid to the Country Roads Board Fund during the year totalled £4,186,906, an increase of £688,910 over the amount received during the corresponding financial year. Refunds and the cost of collection amounted to £3:32,944, making the net revenue £:3,853,~~62. Under the terms of the Cornrnonwealth Aid Roads Act 1950, which operates for five years from the 1st July, 1950, payment to the States of the proceeds of 6d. per gallon Customs duty on motor spirit imported into Australia and of 3ld. per gallon excise duty on motor spirit refined in Australia is divided among the States on the basis which has operated for many years, namely, in the proportion three-fifths as to population and t\vo-fifths as to area.