ROADING MATERIALS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5014, 16 August 1926, Page 3

ROADING MATERIALS.

CONCRETE OR BITUMEN ?

THE HIGHWAYS BOARD’S POLICY.

The policy of the Highways, Board in relation to the use of the two preparations for road 'formation— bitumen and concrete —was defined by the Prime Minister in the House last week, when notice of a question on the matter was given by Mr J. A Lee (Auckland East). Mr Lee asked whether the Prime Minister had noticed the preference expressed in Auckland for concrete roa.ds- instead of those formed with bitumen, and he wanted to. know if Mr Coates would take steps to prevent the Highways- Board from acting as the agept for bitumen.

Stating that the reply was perfectly simple, the Prime Minister p.foited out that the Highways Board made recommendations only after ascertaining the traffic and the class of road neces.sary to carry it. Everything was- controlled by costs—interest and the expiration of the loan. Naturally the board was not encouraging people to go in for expensive roads When another class would serve the purpose. It had been very caiteful in that respect, obtaining information from all over the world, and careful calculations were made before recojmmendations were framed. The Board did not advocate bitumen where the strength of the-road justified a more expensive rfod. “I want to make it clear,” added Mr Coates, ‘‘that there is. nettling in the mind of the Highways Board that can be interpreted ta mean that it favours bitumen because it is bitumen. It is purely the .strength of the road (the traffic it has to bear) a.nd the cost per mile that it ha,s to consider.”