STREET FORMATION

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2180, 19 June 1914, Page 8

STREET FORMATION

SBL. .»AW'S STATEMENTS DltV ENGtNfiEft INTERVIEWED. When approached by a represent ative of The ]}osiin'M)s with a 'veqaesfc to know if he had anything to say regaivJJi)H the MiaMxsr cftiitaiuufl in tho ilitorvvoTV.vvit.il Mv, ¥. U. Mace,pnMislreflon Wednesday, with ltferenee-to bitumen* made streets, as against wood-block streets, ths City'-Engineer {Mr. IV. H.. Morton) was not inclined to be coin* mmiicaUvo. .He was not, ho said, going to be drawn into a newspaper controversy, ami anything be weald) lihvc .to say on the subject would be said to the comic-il, If the conn-ail desired him to inalie a. report on. Mi', Mace's statements, he would lave verygreat pleasure in traversiug some, of tlicth. It must not h: sup-posed, 'said Mr. Morton, that a final .method ■ of roadconsiorctfon had been laid down for this city. In Wellington.' as in every other progressive- oictv in the world, tlVo matter was receiving close ami serious consisJeratioM. Tim methods of transport had been revolutionised i'l the last <i«ade, -and this is/at/- in itself, demanded that those; responsible tor "the foriuatimi and upkeep of streets slwraid bo ateffc to devise fresh means oi' -con-. itig with new conditions.

"Tliis city," ebntkiusri Mr. Morton, ''was- not yet a finished product; Whilst: in one portion there was a Certain degree of pci'man-eiiey in. the condition ar-'. rived at, in ■ ijiiottter portion the city was still in the developmental stage, aiid what- was .practically' pionfleriiig ; work was. being'done, -Consequently, Wellington was not yet awhile .able to go in for tiia't- dogao of > perfection which obtaijie-ji in some much older* ttstablishod • mu'-iifeipa-liti-es which ■, w'ew now in what'lnlght-be called the improvement''stage,,rather Wia-li tho de.ve],6>hi.eiit sta^e. fiw only portion of Mr..Mace's re-marks-that W. Morton felt'called to speak upon*- he- did so for the info rjnaiioß of She public in order' that a false ide'4 -miglvV net he created—was the statement, tJjat a saving of £o0,00l) might have-bean- effected had. Wcllffig : ten. adopte.fl d jntfo'. modern inctlwd tliaa ■. w-ooi-bJoelfiftg : for street formation, Tlial: statei;nbiit ; 3lr. 'AioTtaii described as utte.V% ; absurd. ' One had only to" go ilito, tlmj do:tai.ls fit the w&rfc done and tho flosts-to-watis.o in a'mo* ment .that w-itli-.-any other materi-st! which wouM* ha. ve : -tetl a- life equal .to iarrah" blocks-;-rise': saving to liayo.liee.li •effected could-', not possibly have boon brMrgiit ailjtivliftre wit' Mii ■hail'' of ■' Mr. Mage's estimate, Th 6. .woodblocks..' in the y. stoats, tS. -Wellington', had-. been down for tea- -years,' l arid',, except wher.a they had been. sjAjected to' ftceidijrtt, there, was fits ■a.pijrMia.ble. w-enr visible «n any iif ilieto.' T-he only .■process of -street fo-rnwtioß- wli-jeh- compared' with hardwotscl' blocks, hasiag «p-ial llijr»ltilil;f. was tazk asphalt; What v/as pro-, perk, known as cojttprfissed niijieral asphalt ' . . ■ ; ' . •tn. conolvr'sioa, Mr. Sinrt.on said tho public cotiid .rest assured that the eii* .pinefij'int? deJiaitmeMt of tho City of WelHn.iTtoii-'.wf>re q-n-ita alive to the-p.ro-grijss of- fie times. atid. : were .lwt lah? <ujf mg anSer ■ any false - idea that- what was coivsid^red' the lwsi; ten years ago ttttst. iH!cess».ri)v, and for that' t'ea/saii, he thf> best to-ela*. .Noft' cprditjotts rffc|iiirPd new ntothdds, and thfSe Wftu-H fio;ftd6pted-,.*rijl wWo beififf adopted., as thiw ansf 6Cfeasi<»n d'ttoavded.