OUR ROADS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2935, 22 November 1916, Page 9

OUR ROADS

METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION DISCUSSED CONCRETE ROADS IN THE FUTURE MUST CATER FOR MOTOR TRAFFIC. V; At the meeting of the council of the Central Chamber of Commerce on Monday, the perambulating resolution of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, urging the Government to utilise prison labour in tho construction of arterial roads in the Dominion, catno up for consideration. ! The discussion, which 'favoured tho proposal, was mado interesting by a statement by-Mr.'L. Ashcroft Edwards, who. has just returned From America, and has evidently paid somo attention to this matter. He said that tho upkeep of the arterial roads of this country was going to be ono of the biggest problems, for with the enormous advance in motoring the Whole question of the construction and upkeep of roads would have to be revised, for evcryono knew how detrimental motor traffic was to the roads. On a road that was greatly used it could be_ repaired one year, and in 12 months it was possible that that road would cease to bo as an avenue for motor traffic. He had just returned from America, where they had come to the conclusion that the roads mustbe of concrete or well tarred to give «ny sort of satisfaction. In California he had ridden over 4000 miles of tarred surfaced roads, which were fine. 31en looked at the big saving to motorists in the tiro bills and repairs whore such roads existed. Take the Hutt Road, which was costing about £28,000 in repairs, and then it yrould not be much better than it is at present. It was for the authorities to realise that motor traffic had come to stay, and build their roads accordingly. In the case of the Hutt Road it could be built in concrete for half the width and the . motors could be forced to keep to that ,sidc, whilst the other wheeled traffic could keep to the other half. Then they would be able to see which wa3 tbo most expensive formation to keep ■up.'. The arterial roads in, America were taken over by the State, but even there the question existed as to who uhould pay the rates. Ho believed that tlio Government should, take over .'the Hutt-Rinrataka Road and the other 'main road to the Manawatu as arterial roads, and not throw the rates on to a few peoplo who happened : to live near the road, and who, perhaps, did not use it half so much as others who resided further on and away from the main road: :' Mr. Edwards thought sthat the proposal to use prison'labour in making tho roads was a good one, as it would he providing useful-work for the men lor whom, employment should be found, and it would result in a saving to the whole of the community. One great bar to the making of concrete roads was the difficulty in getting loans to construct permanent roads that are so costly.: . '';.■'■"' The president: "That could be remedied," , ,_ Continuing, Mr. Edwards said that ■at was a proposal that might be opposed by 'a section of the community represented "by the Trades ; : and Labour Council, as it was opposite to the views they held. ; : ' 3lr. W. J. Gaudin did not see why the. Trades Couucil should oppose it. It was good, useful -work, and if the men employed on it were out they would have to find work somewhere. ._ The president: "Any,useful work they, dp in,-the,open air must be beneficial to themselves, and. the community. Look at the tree-planting——" Mr. Edwards:"There- has been too much planting. . 'They planted , tho trees., so thick that' they had to thin them out, and they can't utilise the wood—so the Surveyor-General tells niel' . ■'-.' -■.-■- Mr. Gaudin thought that as the motors were responsible for cutting up the roads so badly, as experience had taught them, a scheme of taxation should be laid down whereby motorists should pay for the upkeep of the roads, -dr. Edwards :, "That argument was oijt of date long ago—that won't do at all—tho benefit of motor traffic to a district was too valuable for that. It was so great'that the Government of.; California estimated that motor traffio hact brought 2i millions of money to the -' fcitato - during the' year, '■; and at Los Angeles it was calculated that 100,000 new cars had come into that city in a .year,.as-the- result of improved roads,i and the 'traffic' they made was far more valuable to the place than any taxation would be." ■ Finally it was decided that it would be a good thing if prison labour were employed in making good arterial roads. . POSITION OF HUTT ROADS '■■:.':-.. NO MONEY THE MAYOR 0N ROAD CONSTRUCTION Reference was made yesterday to the Mayor by a Dominion 'reporter to the matter of future road construction, so interestingly spoken of by Mr. L. Ashcroft Edwards at Monday's meeting of the Central Chamber of Cominerco. His. Worship was asked in what position the Hutt Road stood in view of the agreement of tho board to tho proposal of the City Engineer (Mr; AV. H. Morton), viz., to build a 24-foot concreto and bitumen track in the centre of the road between Wellington and Pctone, leaving tho space on cither side for inward and outward traffic other than: motor-driven vehicles. Mr. Luko. stated that the City Solicitor had advised him that neither tho board nor the council had power to raiso'a loan for such a purpose, and consequently the matter ,was in abeyance, and ; would remain so until the next session of Parliament, when steps may be taken to pass legislation granting the necessary power. His Worship stated that tlio recent heavy rains had not been a Messing as far as the Hutt Road was concerned, as the little torrents froni the creeks and gullies all along tho road had carried down a very considerable amount of debris from tho hillside, which had choked tho culverts, and caused the water to Hood over tho road. The engineer had advised that tho use of grills would tend to prevent such occurrences in tho future, by setting back tho debris at the culvert intakes, a precaution that would probably bo taken before next winter. Referring to road construction generally, tho Mayor said that ho was in perfect agreement with what Mr. Edwards had said about tho roads of tho future. The engineer was well posted on tlio subject, and 'somo three years ago the council had laid down a policy of street improvement which embodied the modern idea. He knew that America favoured the concrete road, and bad read somewhere of a proposal to connect the Atlantic with the Pacific across tho States by such a road, but people should not get it into their heads that America was so much ahead of us even in that respect. Ho had only a few years ago seen country roads in Now York State, onfv a few hours travel from the metropolis, that looked as though they had never been even metalled. It was in tho autumn that he was there, so he could not say .what they were like in the .winter,'

though it is possible that thoy might be negotiable in sloigbs when the mud was well frozen. What was wanted in Wellington was a street improvement fund to provide the means of doing a certain amount of purriianent street construction each year. The policy at present if as that all streets carrying the heaviest traffic should bo wood-blocked, and those whore tho traffic was lighter, though still in mid-city, should bo laid down in concrete with an asphalt or bitumen surfaco, as in Molesworth Street. One street that badly needed wood-block-ing was Thorndon Quay, where the traffic was very heavy and continuous. Others, such as Featherston Street, Victoria and Wakefield Streets, would do very well if laid down in concrete and asphalt. Tho latter form of construction was much cheaper than woodblocks, and almostas effective, except 'for tho very heaviest traffic. It was important that more of this work should be done, and as soon as tho money inarkot was favourable it would pay tho City to go in for a loan for that purpose. Wellington had little to complain of. There were places which went in for big city street works to the disadvantage of suburban roads, hut that had-not been the case in Wellington, ■where every possible consideration was being given to the suburbs within tho City's means. The council, he thought, was to be complimented on its street improvement policy, and Mr. Morton proved by his zeal how deeply interested lie was in this phase of the City's activities, _ particularly in view of the manner in which his staff had been depleted and tho department disorganised owing to tho exigencies of the war.