ROADING PROBLEMS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5129, 23 May 1927, Page 2

ROADING PROBLEMS.

MAINTENANCE FDR MOTORS,

METHODS OF PLAINS COUNCIL

Reporting recently on the state of the main highway within the Thames County the county engineer, Mr Jas. Higgins, voiced what had become a serious problem for all county councils. The problem is: That as the surface o f a road is improved the cost of maintenance is increased. In his report Mr Higgins stated that during the past two years the Thames County had contributed liberally in the building up and improvements to the main highway between Hikiitaia and Waikawau, with the result that the road is in a much improved condition. It was naturally thought, he said, that as the surface of the road improved the cost of maintenance would decrease. Such, however, had not proved correct, and he found to-day that the cost of keeping the road from deteriorating on a 30s to £1 basis was far beyond the means of. the farming community of that county. The cause, as he saw it, was first of all due to motor traffic of all descriptions having increased by 300 per cent. The speed had increased from about 15 miles to 40 miles per lio'ur for motor-cars and from 7 miles to about 20' miles for motor trucks.

On the Hauraki Plains the volume and speed of traffic has not increased at such a rate in the last two years, for the road surfaces have always been in goood order. However, there is no doubt that the volume of motor traffic will increase,, and the cost of maintenance of the main highway will not become less until some different surfacing is used. Th 6 worth of red metal is the subject of much discussion. Motorists complain bitterly of its harshness on tyres,, contending that the mileage obtained from a cover is little- more than half what should be expected. When the matter was discussed by the Plains County Council recently blue chips were suggested as an alternative to red metal for maintenance purposes. It would take at least £2OO to equip the Hikutaia quarry for chip crushing, and this additional overhead on the cost of the metal, together ’with the increased cartagecosts, would mean that the chips would have to be almost twice as good as red metal to be worth while. Ordinary crushed metal from Hikutaia costs about 16s a yard to land on the bank of the Waihou River, whereas red metal can be landed on the bank of the Piako at Us a yard, and the supply can be regulated at will to suit the requirements of the council. This makes for economical working-, as was demonstrated last week when 125 yards of red metal were landed and spread in one day at a cost which worked out at less than 2s a yard. The Plains County Council is not bound to red metal, and its engineer, Mr F. Basham, frequently experiments with other materials in an effort to find a means of reducing the cost of maintenance-. Various grades of red metal are being tried out, also stretches of Coromandel gravel and metal chips. At the last meeting of the council he was given authority to procure a few barrels of bitumen emulsion of various kinds for the purpose of ascertaining if reel metal can be effectively sealed.

Mr Higgins, of the Thames County, suggests as a remedy that the council should take up the matters of getting an increase of subsidy„ deciding definitely in regard to speed for motor traffic, and appointing a suitable man in conjunction with the Main Highways Board to act as traffic inspector. He comments that if the right man was appointed as inspector he would save in three months his wages for a year.

There is nothing new in these suggestions. The resbrt of seeking greater State assistance is common, but of questionable soundness, and a more logical solution seems to be to use better materials if possible. The regulation of the speed and weight of vehicles is o>f paramount importance, for the folly of constructing roads and making no effort to prevent them from being destroyed is obvious. In this connecti.on most local authorities have by-laws regulating speed and load, but comparatively few see that they are enforced to the utmost. The Plains County Council at its last meeting reappointed its inspector for a further nine months. The decision was reached after a discussion lasting an hour, and while the council took upon itself the blame for not having had an efficient inspection service in the past by reason of having appointed a man to the dual position of foreman and inspector, it agreed that a great improvement was to be expected in tiie future, when there was less construction work and the inspector would have ample time to attend to the inspector’s duties. Mr Higgins’ statement that an inspector could save his year’s salary in three months by lessening the destruction of roads is sound and generally accepted. In addition, an inspector with the powers of the Plains Council’s inspector can augment the council’s general receipts to the extent of several hundreds of pounds a year by the collection of license fees. The inspector is, therefore, a most important official of the council.