1930-31. LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. NEW SOUTH WALES. MAIN ROADS BOARD SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT FOR Period ending 30th June, 1931. Ordered by the Legislative Assembly to be printed, 1 December, 1931. SYDNEYi ALFRED JAMES KENT, I.S.O., GOVERNMENT PKINIER. 1932. 64045 *270—a. [35. ed.] MAIN ROADS BOARD OP NEW SOUTH WALES. SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. CONTENTS. PARAGRAPH, PART I.—PRELIMINARY (Ministerial and Legislative)— The Minister ^ 2 The Federal Aid Roads Agreement1, Alteration of ... S Receipts from Motor Taxation ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 The State Transport (Co-ordination) Bill: and 14 The Greater Sydney Bill 14 PART II.—THE COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND MAIN ROADS FUND— Income and Expenditure ... ... ... ... ... 19 Balance-sheet ... ... ... 19 Loan Liabilities ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20 Construction ... ... ... ... ... 21 Summary of Construction Work and Expenditure ... ... ... ... 24 Maintenance and Minor Improvements ... ... ... ... ... 25 Maintenance, Bridges and Ferries 30 Maintenance by Councils ... ... ... ... 32 Maintenance by Board ... ... 32 Proclamation of New Main Roads ... ... ... ... ... ... 33 Length of Main Roads ... ... ... ... ... ... 35 Declaration of Secondary Roads ... ... ... ... ... ... 36 Alteration of Route of Secondary Road ... ... ... ... ... 38 Length of Secondary Roads ... ... ... ..". ... ... ... 39 PART III.—THE COUNTRY MAIN ROADS FUND— Income and Expenditure 40 Balance-sheet 40 Loan Liabilities ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 The Adjustment of the Programme of Works to the available funds ... 42 Councils' Contributions to Country Main Roads ... ... ... ... 45 Length of Main Roads 48, 53 Proclamation of New Main Roads ... ... ... 49 Main Roads De-proclaimed ... ... ... ... 50 Maintenance by Councils ... ... ... ... ... ... 55 Maintenance by Board ... ... ... ... 56 Length of Country State Highways controlled by Board ... ... ... 57 Construction by Councils ... ... 58 Construction by Board ... ... ... 59 Summary of Construction Expenditure ... ... 60 PART IV.—THE DEVELOPMENTAL ROADS FUND— Income and Expenditure... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 61 Balance-sheet ... ... ... ... .,, 61 Total Expenditure on Developmental Roads 62 Proclamation of New Developmental Roads ... ... ... ... ... 63 Deproclamation of Developmental Roads ... ... ... 65 Length of Developmental Roads ... ... ... ... 68 Summary of Work done ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 69 PART V.—THE FEDERAL AID ROADS FUND— Income and Expenditure ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 70 Balance-sheet ... ... ... ... ... 70 Temporary withdrawal of Federal Aid 71 Difference between Return of Income and Actual Receipts ... ... ... 74 Summary of Gross Expenditure ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 75 Programme of Work and Expenditure ... ... ... ... 76 PiF/r VI,—MISCELLANEOUS— Summary of Annual Expenditure—All Funds ... 77 Motor Vehicle Registrations 78 Analysis of the Sources of Money spent "on Roads 82 Relative responsibility of Motorist, Ratepayer and Taxpayer 82 An English view of relative responsibility of Motorist and Ratepayer ... 101 Staff and Employment ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 102 Cost of Administration ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Ill Acknowledgments... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 112 APPENDIX A— Extract from report of English Royal Commission on Transport concerning recommended proportions of snaring cost of road-works between rate­ payer and motorist. MAIN ROADS ACT, 1924-20. MAIN ROADS BOARD OF NEW SOUTH WALES. SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. (FOR PERIOD 1ST JULY, 1930, TO 30TH JUNE, 1931.) The Honourable the Colonial Treasurer, Sydney. 1. In accordance with the provisions of Section six of the Main Roads Act, 1924-29, the Main Roads . Board has the honour to submit its Sixth Annual Report for presentation to Parliament, through the Minister, covering the period 1st July, 1930, to 30th June, 1931. PART I.—PRELIMINARY. MINISTER. 2. For the period 1st July, 1930, to 25th October, 1930, Lt.-Col. the Hon. M. F. Bruxber, D.S.O., M.L.A., as Minister for Local Government, was in charge of the administration of the Main Roada Act. Following the change of Government, which took place after the elections of October, 1930, the Hon. W. J. McKel), as Minister for Local Government in the third Government led by the Hon. J. T. Lang, M.L.A., took over from Col. Bruxner and carried on until 17th June, 1931, when he was succeeded by the Hon. J. McGirr. Later, consequent upon the enactment of the State Transport (Co-ordination)-Act, J931, the administration of the Main Roads Act, 1924-29, was by proclamation in the Government Gazette of 1st September, 1931, vested in the Colonial Treasurer, the Hon. J. T. Lang, M.L.A. FEDERAL AID ROADS AGREEMENT—ALTERATION OF. 3. In the previous (Fifth) Annual Report and in the August. 1931, issue of the Board's journal " Main Roads," an account was given of the negotiations between the Commonwealth and the States which led up to the decision by the various Governments to revise the Federal Aid Roads Agreement on ]ines which :— (a) Relieved the States from the duty to contribute pro rata with the Commonwealth, as from 21st February, 1930; (6) Continued the Commonwealth grant to the States at the rate of £2,000,000 per annum until 30th June, 1931, and thereafter until 31st December, 1936, at the amount yielded by a 2£d. per gallon enstoms tax on all petrol imported into Australia and a 1 Jd. per gallon excise tax on all petiol refined from crude oil in Australia; (c) Maintained the distribution of these moneys among the States in the same proportions as the original agreement; and (d) Extended the use of the money to any class of road work, i.e., maintenance, repair, construction, or reconstruction. 4. If the collections on petrol are maintained at the level of the eleven months ended 31st May, 1931, the total amount that will be available annually for distribution to the States as a whole will be approximately £1,400,000, viz., imports at 2£d. per gallon, £1,270,000; and excise at l£d. per gallon, £130,000. For the first three months of the year 1930-31, the imports were abnormally low because of heavy clearances prior to July. If the collections.are maintained at the level of the eight months ended 31st May, 1931, then the total annual amount payable to the States will be about £1,580,000, viz., imports, £1,450,000; and excise, £130,000. At a total of £1,400,000, the share of New South Wales will be £386,400 per annum; while if the total be £1,580,000, the New South Wales share will be £436,000 per annum. 5. The following table shows the proposed future distribution of the money among the States on the basis of the agreement, with the approximate petrol consumption in each State placed side by side for purposes of comparison :— Percentage on Basis Percentage of Petrol of Agreement. Consumption. New South Wales 27-6 36-5 Victoria 18-0 34-4 Queensland 18-8 12-1 South Australia 11*4 7*7 Western Australia 19-2 7-9 Tasmania 5-0 1-4 *64045—A 2 6. The rate of ljd. per gallon for the proportion of the excise tax to be devoted to roads wag fixed at this figure because it bore to the total excise tax (4d.) approximately the same proportion (5/14ths) as the 2£d. per gallon rate on imported petrol bore to the total customs tax (7d.). The Board made a suggestion that a more satisfactory arrangement would have been to have fixed a uniform rate per gallon from either customs or excise taxes, as, by this means, the amount of money made available for roads by a tax on car fuel would not have been influenced by the question of whether that fuel was imported in a refined or an unrefined condition. So far as the roads are concerned, the wear and tear is the same, however the petrol is obtained; and it would be illogical if, although the same wear and tear was maintained (in the proeess of which a regular amount of petrol was consumed), the amount of money to repair this were to be decreased because of a change of commercial process, by the adoption of a system of importing the bulk of the oil in an unrefined condition and refining it locally instead of the present practice of importing the bulk of the petrol in a refined condition. A rate of 2jd. per gallon from both the customs and excise taxes would have produced approximately the same amount as the present rates of 2Jd. from the customs tax and Ifd. from the excise tax. RECEIPTS FROM STATE MOTOR TAXATION. 7. The payments from State Motor Taxation to the two Main Roads Funds (County of Cumberland and Country) are now limited to the actual tax (less 5 per cent, to cover the cost of collecting) collected on motor vehicles, with the exception of motor omnibuses plying in a transport district under the Transport Act, 1930. The tax on these latter vehicles is paid, together with service license fees also provided for by the Transport Act, to a Public Vehicles Fund. From this fund quarterly distributions are made to the Main Roads Board and the Municipalities and Shires in which the omnibus routes are situated, according to the length of the routes on roads for which the Board or Councils are responsible, 8. The revenue from motor registration and license fees which, prior to 1st July, 1929, was paid to the Main Roads Funds, is now paid to a Road Transport and Traffic Fund, and is used to defray the cost of police supervision of traffic, the cost of administration of Transport Trusts and other minor transport costs. Any balance remaining in the fund at the close of a financial year is transferred to the Country Main Roads Fund. 9. In addition to the diminution of income because of the provisions just outlined, however, a further falling off in revenue occurred in 1930-31 because of the continuous decrease in the number of motor vehicle registrations. On 30th June, 1930, the total motor vehicles registered was 248,159; and on 30th June, 1931, the total was 228,237, or a reduction of over 19,922 in the twelve months. This decrease represents a drop of 8-02 per cent, and is still proceeding.