MAIN ROADS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 61, 6 December 1920, Page 7

MAIN ROADS

THE QUESTION OF CONTROL

NEXT YEAR'S LEGISLATION

A Bill dealing with -lino control and maintenance of main roads in New Zealand was mentioned 'inoro tli!i.n once during the recoht session of Parliament, but it was not introduced. The Minister of Public Works, speaking, to n deputation in Auckland last weok. gave an outline of the provisions of the Hill. He said that it was proposed to appoint boards of control, elected largely by the local Ixidics, for the various reading districts. The area of the districts and other detail had yet to he decided. A special engineer would be appointed by the Department to adviso the. control boards. Tho whole scheme would be governed bv tho .financial ability to operato iu. Ho hoped to build up, to begin with, a fund of ,£500,000, which did not seem much for the wholo of New Zealand, But it £ou!d hn a start. .The scheme wes to have a main road right through both islands, with branches oast and west. At first metal, would have to be used, but the boards could gradually work ud to concrete

The details of this scheme .will bo worked nut h y;he Minister (Hon. J. Q. Coates). and the officers of hi? Department before the next session of Parliament,, and it is intended that local bodies shall have full opportunity, to express Choir opinoins before, any definite" movo is made. The official opinion is- that the districts should be --lnrge. Small districts have an advantage in tho. preservatoin of local interest, and 'responsibility, but on tlin other hand the effective control, of trunk roads requires single control over wide territories. ■ A main trunk Toad, like a main trunk railway, must. be...planned on a large scale. The unequal distribution of .road • metal in some parts of t.ho ■Nortn Island makes it important that main Toads should bo built in, such a manner as to facilitate haulago from the quarries.' The hnuluge of metal over bad roads on .its way ,to the good roads is bad business.

Another reason why districts should bo largo fs that much costly experimental work will ho required in the construction of good roads, and especially of. concrete roads. American engineers, have.studied.concrete roads more- closely and more-successfully than the engineers of iuny i other country, and one of the conclusions they have reached' is that the local factors, such as the quality of materials, and the range of temperature must bo considered at every stage.