DUST-LAYING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 8

DUST-LAYING.

; NEWTAE-SPE'AYING METHODS.: : STATEMENT BY;THE'HAYOE. vConversing ...with a, DoinmoK .reporter, yesterday; his., Worship the ..Mayor, Dr. :Newman,, gave: some particulars, of .the new: tar-sp.raying machine,' -,- which';' the. City. Councirhas decided to fori£2oo on'the'recommeridation.pf.the,.city engineer (Mr. W. H; . Morton), /who was much impressed'by -one -of.the machines which ho' saw.; in operation J during-: his recent visit to' Melbourne.;. Besides; being, the I'rqeans;,of, preventing . tho dust -nuis,ance, the . machine, is.. said tp; effect:: a great: ea'ving in'-road maintenance;-- ■:'■■'■'

Tho: Mayor .'states that''"for :'some .time past'hehas held the belief, that''the, dust, trouble,in- Wellingtbh could, only. be.pto-j perly. dealt with by;: the -process: of- tarring the. roads". The dust nuisance.created in, England numberless had, gfpVn'',to,!suoh'v ah extent that; for", miles.outside..the-chief towns;the;roads were, "covered > with •" dust, and' 'houses which, had been erected, in pleasant, lanes .'had,.become .almost uninhabitable,' : be-; cause of'the dust., As a means of remedy--ing ' this, the Automobile ; Association; offered' prizes for .tie best tarring- ma-; chine- available,'',arid .the machine which; has.just been' ordered .by the. corporation was..the same' as.the;machine:wluch : had iutom'obile:..Association's:;first .prize.--:.. The cost-, of ...tho^machine, ."was ,£200,. aid -when, it ; was working',-in' the .streets of ; .'W^ellingtbri,it. I .would.bo:possible, to. tar. one of;the-ordinary;-roads, from pavement, to pavement,,, at .the... rate, 'of, say, a mile in eight days.. .Dr..Newman the, greatest possible belief: in.--the efficacy' of the'; machine,".-' which he. considers will, result: in. an enormous gain to. Wellington..;;,-It will,' be .possible;next "spring to tar from' 15 "to, 20 miles of the main streets of-, the city, and- allay the dust, nuisance by. probably. fqur-fifths. In a'vtown 'like-'Melbourne,: where the;.-mal-', chine operation, - ( the : dust, nuisance., w-as practically nil in a street.-in which the. machine -had'been: worked, whilst in an adjoining street,' which had: not been treated,; the dust .was -almost unbearable.;;-, .-';.;-;'-. v.'■ i'-•'-',.'■' •.■.■■ '•':■'■•-."•'.: ..." ,'j ' Shopkeepers- who displayed : goods - out-, side would,.benefit, largely, by -the ■'.allay;ing of the .du'st-.iinisancei-'.and so ?would' people -who .in the past had, had itheir houses .newly.-.painted', one day,- and hadbeen; awakened; the,next .day.. to:.see.' the building: as :duU,as:evcr,' as the result.,ot dust olouding the fresh-, laid ,paint; „■• ;.Theh ..'again.-vthe -lealth of, the 'community, ; .would: :be. 'improved, by the.laying''of: the dust, 'as there, would' be . less; risk of .disease. ■ from ;' objectionable germs.' ■■ The "Mayor'; considers:- that thenew machine;ahd,;its:results .will'- be. one 6f. s the;greatest : boons-that has- happened -to ..Wellington; for-'.many .'years.- past. Citizens, wereyopnstantly clamouring.- for wator-corts,': whioh'-were very-' expensive ' to.-run;--but'nnder.'the.'new'schemewater-[carts-would-,not;play suoh^''an--important part.iri-.the : city> {'-;• FrequentlyVa' watercart, was seen; "out on ■ the; streets .in the morning,,: and'.by -the dust was blowing about'as ( bad-as'ever;-With the, addition.'of-tarred' footpaths the. dust nuisance:would be.still further reduced. . As', well as'allaying the dust nuisance,' the',ma'ohine;w6uld- make -the- road: metal waterproof; and the consequence was that, the: metal .wasfestimated: by; English; giheers -to : Uast.,.half, as long.:again, as' the'..ordinary.' metal.'V For" instance, f ; a ; road might ■ require irietallingHo^a'y, ' arid; 'thejmotal put-.'dowri-might,last.'-say,-five years.>lf- this : same roadi ha:d:beeri'ta'rred it wbuld : last 7i:y.earsi'.bec'ause'the metaT,being'; rainproof,'', would -not -'crurnble nearly; as. fast.' .Here- again was a-' great saving' to. the .'city. ■" iThe cost; of tarring a : road '.'in- Eriglarid varied from:- .£10 ; to a inile'i,which;, considering'.-the great : advantage;.'gained,'-' was • small: ' The ■ new' machiie would 'save its cost 'many, times ,over,;'';because" there 'would, be less need' for''stfeet''witering,..' I .and 'because'; the, metal,wpdd'Wmade to;,last half as long ~agairi^'; ; ; i ', ; x.; ,: ;; l i ''■''" :';,;'■;■;: ,,: V, The machine would' be at work'in the spring,, as. it";.was, useless putting down; tar in:the;middle' of :.winter,:,because'; the.; rain'spoiled :'the : effect;;, ,The"machine ! was„ .'a :handy :,, coritTivanoe,'.'which;was. placed on a' lorry'arid; drawn 'by a .couple of horses. A .fire ;was.:setalight.:in : the under, part to heat,;the tar, -which was sprayed,.forth, on; to the! road at : considerable force,'' very-; much- • as.- water ' was sprayed, from-a.'watering-cart.;.; : -