BURNT PAPA ROADS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 10 February 1911, Page 8

BURNT PAPA ROADS.

IN TnE' NORTHERN WAIRARAPA. » (From Our Travelling Correspondent.)'./ , That part.of ihq Alfr/tdton-W'cbcr road which passes through 'ItaUunui is motallcd with burnt pipa Ou nuking inquiry I.found that it had been dono for JWut eight or nino years.. To-day, on tho flat.part, it is practically as uood as ever. A good, deal of traffic passes over the load, and'it seems hj stand it well.,- I was told that once burnt papa lias set;"it takes 'very: little.*attention to' keep, the; road in order, j That is a great thiug -'for districts where"there is no ordinary road.; metal,,. as. .is;.usually the ca £S '.o'blub papa country. "\. " 'There. hre.:ttvo>^kihds-of,":papa. One burns a. dull red.shade like brick: the other burns a biscuit colour. Tho latter is quite useless for reading, as it grinds up to.powder in a very short time. It-is'not-everybody who knows how to burn papa for road metal, and any local body which decides to give, it a trial should make sure to ;gct men 'who,know the' jork., Some timo ago, I believe, it was decided to use burnt papa in tho Pohonur district, and inquiries were nindo for men from tho Pongaroa County, who wero used to the'-job. .There, seems to be one point which is nDsolutoly necessary, and that is to put. not less than a foot,of. tho burnt material .down,' as it -then,makes a solid bed, aU most like.concrete, whereas if it is-put on too thinly the operation is simply, waste of money, i Now, i-thero-aro plenty of- nlaces ivhe'ro metal ris scarce, plenty qf-.-blho papa'countfy yet to bo roaded, is usually heavy bush 'land. So that the two necessaries, material and firing are in abundance. -•If?.the 'burning. kilns—which arc usu-ally-mnde- in a-'shallbw-'hollow on the '■"Per sidn of the road-are handr fo'| .•wo'job,, and there,, is.not, too distance for cartage, burnt para can be P v\ir oD H '° rn " ( ' for from abontfiv* shillings a TATii upwards. -In one.'cn?e. which, I heard of. it'onlv. cost is. Cd. It'isa capital stihstituto for metal, and the. wonder /that- it'.'is'ndt'»mcre used.