THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Oct. 5, 1916 CONCRETE ROADS, ETC

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 5 October 1916, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Oct. 5, 1916 CONCRETE ROADS, ETC

Wilson" a Portland Cement, which is declared second to none, is now fairly placed before the country—Local Bodies especially—through the aid of printers' ink, agencies, and expert trials, and now upon our back page and column extracts weekly, when we can afford space, from a pamphlet issued by the firm. The article published in another column is especially instructive and even entertaining, and is commended to members of local bodies up this way, especially if they would like a clean, clear spin to Auckland by motor or bike, which improvement is bound to come sooner or later. What about seriously considering the great question at once ? But run and read. CONCRETE PAVING LEADS IN SEVEN STATES. (Extract from " Concrete," June, 1916.) Figures compiled by Municipal Journal show that in the following Central States —Ind., 111., la., Mich., Minn., Mo., and Wis., concrete leads as a paving material, as shown by the table: 1914 1915 Yardage Yardage 1 Concrete ... 2,600396 2,983,199 2 Brick or clay ■ block ... 2,482,292 1,907,88 2 "3 Sheet asphalt ... 2,064,589 2,658,630 4 Bit concrete ... 1,214,510 1,916,732 5 Bit macadam ... 930,232 819,397 6 Creosote wood block ... 907,749 427,551 7 Gravel ... 523,753 563,872 8 Waterbound macadam ... 393,033 571,014 9 Granite or sand-. stone block 215,032 129,082 10 Bitulithic ' ... 150,446 321,563 11 Concrete with bit top ... 117,200 172,656 The big feature in modern building is concrete. The construction tower is a feature of every city and a mark of a town's prosperity. An illustration shows a concrete arch bridge three miles from Rock. Rapids, la. This bridge replaced a number of earlier bridges destroyed by washouts and fires, The cost is unknown, but it was put in for the^ same price that the township would have paid for a wood pile bridge, for the reason that the contractors^ the Hewitt Co., wished to try out this type of structure experimentally. The bridge was built in 1897, imported cement being used. It is not known just how the bridge is reinforced. The arch is of concrete, with stone spandrels and posts and an iron pipe rail. Not a dollar has been spent for repairs to the bridge, outside of necessary grading of the road surface. 4' Concrete" recently ,describ ed an arch bridge constructed by James W. Pearl, in 1892, which antedates this structure by five years. The bridge built by Mr Pearl was, however, destroyed to make way for other improvements, so that it is possible that the Rock Rapids bridge is the oldest 'existing concrete arch. The magazine would like to receive information as to older structures, if they exist. [We possess a splendid1 concrete bridge in Helensville. Ed]