ROADING HELD UP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20120, 14 December 1939, Page 8

ROADING HELD UP

BITUMEN SHORTAGE TAR AS SUBSTITUTE GISBORNE DISTRICT COUNTY AND BOROUGH Reading work in the Gisborne district will be seriously curtailed during the present season as a result of a shortage of bitumen for surface sealing. -Supplies are stated to -be unprocur-; able, and much work is being held in j abeyance. In certain instances a sub- 1 stitute is being used in the nature of tar. a New Zealand product from coal, but difficulty is experienced also in i securing sufficient of the right type of j tar for the work in hand. -Mr. K. F. Jones, engineer for the Cook County, stated to-day that the j prospects at present appeared hopeless I in regard to bitumen supplies. The I county depended for its -bitumen work j upon private contractors, and the contractors reported that they were unable to secure sufficient for the coming season’s work. Delayed Indefinitely The council had prepared to go j ahead with six miles of bitumen - sealing, and this would have to be delayed indefinitely. It had been the j practice in ihe past to. give a one-coat seal of tar before putting on the bitumen, and it appeared as though the council would have lo be content with the tar sealing until bitumen supplies were available once more. j The Gisborne Borough Council has j decided to suspend all new bitumen i work in the meantime. The borough j engineer, -Mr. E. R. Thomas, stated j to-day that the council secured its usual supplies of bitumen during the j year, and would have sufficient for j maintenance for some time, and this i aspect of the work would not be inter- j fered with for the time being, at least, j The Gisborne district is not the only - one affected by the shortage of ] bitumen, for most other local bodies arc similarly situated. It was stated j at the latest meeting of the Hawke’s Bay County Council that there was j little likelihood of the council being | able to carry out its road-sealing pro- j gramme this season, for bitumen could not be purchased in New Zealand. A boat with supplies was expected to arrive in February, but if its arrival should be any later it would be too late for the season’s -work.