HIGHWAY DISTRICTS AND MAIN ROADS 289 



withdrawn, the whole burden fell on the locahty. Some rehef was 

 urgently needed. In order to distribute the burden more equitably, 

 the parishes were grouped into Highway Districts. Within each 

 area the cost was equahsed. But parochial districts remained 

 responsible for the maintenance of roads within their areas, legally 

 liable for the extra burden if the expense was disproportion- 

 ately heavy, legally entitled to the special benefit if the cost was 

 disproportionately hght. Further rehef to local ratepayers was 

 required. It came in the form of excepting main roads from the 

 general law of district habiUty. Under the Highways and Loco- 

 motives Acts Amendment Act, 1878, the turnpike roads, whose 

 trusts had been dissolved, were made main roads, and half the cost 

 of their maintenance was transferred to the county authority, then 

 Quarter Sessions. The remainder of the habihty for the repair of 

 main roads still rested on the parochial districts, a grant-in-aid 

 being made by the Government. Under the Local Government 

 Act, 1888, the County Council became the county authority, and 

 parochial districts were reheved of the remaining half of their habihty 

 for the maintenance of main roads, wherever situated, and the cost 

 of their upkeep was transferred to the county generally. But 

 under the PubHc Health Act, 1875, the urban authorities were 

 already responsible for the maintenance of highways within their 

 areas. The effect of the two Acts of 1875 and 1888 was that urban 

 authorities might elect either to maintain the main roads within 

 their area themselves, or to call upon the County Council to do the 

 work. If they elected to maintain the roads themselves, the 

 measure of the County Council's habihty was a contribution towards 

 the cost properly incurred in the maintenance and reasonable 

 improvement of the main roads within the area. 



