Report on the Borough.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 24 August 1918, Page 4

Report on the Borough.

In the course of his report upon the Borough of Levin, furnished at the request of the Borough Council, Mr W. J. lloche, civil engineer, says he was first impressed by the gi*eat cleanliness of the main street between the railway station and the Council Chaimber and the almost complete absence of dust. The general air of cleanliness and lightness was confirmed subsequently in the course of his drive round the township. It gave the feeling that here, if anywhere in New Zealand, was a splendid basis on which to found a town-planning scheme, more particularly as the subdivision of the land into building- lots does not appear to have taken place to any great distance from the railway. Then there is the Lake which under proper management might be made a scenic reserve of great beauty and be an asset of no small magnitude to the neighbourhood. The streets, too, are well oriented to get the maximum aimount of sunshine round tlie houses fronting them.

Referring to road maintenance the engineer says: I have studied your balance sheets for two years and I consider that for the limited amount spent and the not very high grade quality of metal available flie road surfaces are very good and reflect great credit 011 your foreman and his gang of men.

Mr suggested small alterations to the metal crusher with a view to improving its work; and he also advised that an apparatus called an "off-set hitch" be obtained for use with the Austin road grader. This enabled the grader to be drawn by a road roller or traction engine running on the metalled road, while the grader could be guided to cut any part of the grass margin 15 or 16 feet on either side of tlie tractor. The cost would be about £60, but would be a good investment as it would be possible (to do half a day's rolling and then while steam was up to finish the day with the grader. In one afternoon he had seen as much grass cut as would take four horses and carts the whole of the next day to remove.

The report then went very fully I into .the tarring *>f roads. H| stated that crude tar was so uncertain in its results that it had been found necessary in many places to submit it to some process of distillation before applying it to the roads. Mr Roche recommended a modified tar from whicli tlie volatile ingredients had been rcimoved and more stable oils or compounds substituted, so that it maintains its resilience and "life" 1 for an indefinite period. He estiI mated that the roads could be trc--1 ated at a cost of l-">.49d per sq. yard (preparation 5.17 d, first coat 'A. 46, second coat fa.Spd). •He also dealt very fully with the tarring of footpaths, and suggested certain improvements in methods of road construction, a start bev ing made with the Lake road as an object lesson. Type No. 1 provided "for a 24ft carriage way with a. 6ft. pathway on each side, the space fbetween being" planted with grass and deciduous shrubs. Type No. 2 provided for a 20ft. carriageway, with a narrow path at each kerb for bicycles. These roads would not be costly owing to the small metal track.