ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES.

Clause.

1. County council may maintain district roads by agreement.

2. Agreements between adjoining councils for maintenance of roads.

3. Joint committees for road purposes.

4. Orders forming regional highway boards.

5. Minister of Transport may require road to be a main road.

A

BILL

ΤΟ

Facilitate the construction, improvement, and A.D. 1927. maintenance of roads by highway authorities; and for other purposes connected therewith.

BE

E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the 5 same, as follows:

district

1. The county council of any county and the high- County way authority for any city, borough or district in the council may county may from time to time contract for the under- maintain taking by the county council of the maintenance, repair, roads by 10 improvement and enlargement of and other dealing agreement. with any road or any portion of a road repairable by such highway authority, subject to any such conditions for the proper maintenance and repair of such road or portion thereof as may be agreed on between the county 15 council and the highway authority, and for the purposes of such undertaking the county council shall have the same powers and be subject to the same duties and liabilities as if the road were a road vested in them.

councils

2.-(1) The county council of any county and Agreements 20 the county council of any adjoining county and any between highway authority or authorities for an area within adjoining either of such counties, may from time to time enter for maininto and carry into effect an agreement or agreements tenance of with each other for the maintenance by one of them roads.

A.D. 1927. of any one or more roads or portion thereof vested in or repairable by the other council or authority making the agreement.

Joint committees for road purposes.

Orders

forming

regional highway boards.

(2) Any agreement made under this section shall contain conditions providing for the proper maintenance 5 of the road, or portion of road, to which the agreement relates to the satisfaction of the council or authority liable to repair the road.

(3) For the purposes of such agreement the council or authority undertaking the repair of the road shall 10 have the same powers and be subject to the same duties and liabilities as if the road were a road vested in them.

3.-(1) Any highway authority may concur and agree with any other highway authority or authorities in appointing, out of their respective bodies, a joint 15 committee for the maintenance, construction, reconstruction, alteration or improvement of all or any of the roads situate within the jurisdiction of them respectively, and subject to any conditions and restrictions imposed by this Act or specified in an agreement 20 made between the highway authorities for those purposes such joint committee shall have the same powers and be subject to the same duties and liabilities with respect to the roads for the maintenance and improvement of which they are appointed as if the roads were roads 25 vested in the joint committee.

(2) The members of such joint committee shall hold office only so long as they are members of the highway authority appointing them, and when any vacancy occurs on the joint committee the highway 30 authority represented by the member vacating office shall appoint another or other members to fill the vacancy.

(3) The expenses of a joint committee under this section shall be defrayed by the highway authorities 35 by whom it is appointed in such proportion as they may from time to time agree.

4.-(1) Where it appears to the Minister of Transport, after public enquiry, that the roads in the area of a highway authority would be maintained and improved 40 with greater economy or efficiency if such area were

10

15

combined with the area of some one or more adjoining A.D. 1927. highway authorities, provision may be made by order in Council, a draft whereof has been approved by resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament, for the 5 formation of a regional highway board consisting of representatives of such highway authorities for the purpose of maintaining and improving the roads specified in the order or situated within the areas specified in the order.

(2) The regional highway board shall have the same power and be subject to the same duties and liabilities with respect to the roads for the maintenance and improvement of which the board are appointed as if such roads were vested in the board.

(3) The expenses of the regional highway board shall be defrayed by the highway authorities represented by the board in proportion to the assessable value of their respective areas, or in such proportions as may be prescribed by the order.

20 (4) The provisions of the Second Schedule to the Ministry of Transport Act, 1919, shall apply to the making of draft orders under this section.

main road.

5. (1) If the Minister of Transport is satisfied Minister of that a road classified under section seventeen of the Transport 25 Ministry of Transport Act, 1919, would be more efficiently may require and economically maintained if it were a main road, road to be a he may by notice addressed to the county council require them to issue an order declaring such road or part thereof to be a main road, and such notice shall 30 be deemed to be an application to the county council within the provisions of section fifteen of the Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act, 1878: Provided that before such order is confirmed by the county council the highway authority by whom the road is 35 repairable may state their objections in writing to the confirmation of the order, and if the objections are not withdrawn the county council shall hold a public enquiry into the matter, and may, if they think fit, modify the order.

40

(2) If any difference shall arise between the county council and the highway authority as to the expense to be incurred in placing the road in proper repair and condition in accordance with section eleven (7) of the