STATE ROAD CONTROL.
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At a meeting of the County Councils Association held last week at the Guildhall, Westminster, Mr. Henry Hobhouse presiding, the Parliamentary Committee presented_a report stating that questions had been raised by Lord Montegu of Beaulieu and Lord Strachie in the House of,Lords on behalf of the Association in regard to the subject of military control of roads and bridges, and that, in the course of the ensuing debate, the Earl Stanhope (the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office) announced that the War Office proposed to set up a Joint Roads Committee, consisting of representatives of the Road Board, the local authorities, and the Government departments concerned, to take over the work of the War Office under the D.O.R. regulations and also of the Road Board.
B44 It was stated that Mr. J. Willmot hid been asked to serve on the Joint Committee on behalf of the English Highway Authorities.
The committee also reported that it had considered (1) A letter from the Gloucestershire County Connell intimating that they have been informed that the Gevernment will not accept any liability for damage done by timber hauling prior to 1st March, 1918, except in very special circumstances or in the case of timber hauled directly by a Government department, and (2) A letter from the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers requesting the Association to appoint three representatives upon a Joint Committee of the Institution and the repreeentative
Associations of local authorities to ba formed for the purpose of taking joint action to prevent unnecessary interference with the duties, rights, arid powers of existing highway authorities.
The Committee recommended, and the Association agreed, to protest against the refusal of the Government to accept liability for damage done by timber hauling prior to 1st March, 1918, except in very special circumstances or in the case of timber hauled directly by a Government department. It was decided to ask the War Office and the Treasury to receive a deputation on the subject.
The Association also urged that there should be at least two representatives of the English Highway Authorities on the Joint Roads Committee.