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Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1928, Page 2

I'hom official Igu res lately given out in Wellington, it would appear (as really might have been expected) that there has been in New Zealand, a huge expenditure on road making. Dealing with the New Zealand roadways .Mr C. .1. McKenzie (Assistant Engineer to the Public Works Department) stated that the expenditure' on , oust motion of roads out ol the Public Works a.nd Main Highways Fumls to March 31st. last was nearly £17.51)0,()tl(); hut. it was impossible to gel it cinplcte record of the total cost. Assuming a figure* of £IOOO per mile on the surfaced roads and £SOO on the 11 msiirtacc'd, the total cost . should he* roughly under £10.000.000. so that tin* internal communications of the country roads and railways have cost approximately C 100.000.000. ! liis was a huge stun lor a young country with a small population. There must he a decline in the expenditure on new railroad construction, and in a few years fro I n now in hydro-electric development; hut they were just at the comnieneeinent of a now era of roadniaking and greater amounts of money would lequire to hc found for some years to come both for construction and manufacture. The Departmental expenditure on mailing lias boon steadily increasing of recent years until last rear £1.140,000 was spent on road construction!, including main highways, a figure never previously reached, and with the increased revenue to he obtained from the motor spirits tax a considerable increase is anticipated in the coming year. A large proportion of the future expenditure on rends must necessarily be on bridging, ns about 83 per cent, of the total length of the bridges of 25ft. span and over it; 'constructed of 'timber. Many of these were in urgent need for renewal; and, meover, being only suitable for one-lane traffic, they would, as the tcn(fie inereaised, require to be replaced |,v wider structures of more durable materials. The Department had of reicnt years been replacing wooden bridges will either concrete or concrete and • led hr id get. the most favoured type for bridges up to 40ft. span being concrete pier (either pile or massed concrete) with steel joist spans.