CONCRETE ROAD TEST.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 67, 31 January 1918, Page 2

CONCRETE ROAD TEST.

Offer to goutiiertf County -. Councih Mr Joseph Dawson, the wellknown contractor and bridge builder, recently wrote to the Pahiatua County council in reference to a conversation he had with the chairman regarding a small portion of concrete road as a test. The Wilson Cement company would give four or five tons of cement free at Auckland. If the county did about four chains, his, estimate per chain would be for 18ft by 4in thick about £2O per chain. If four chains were done it would cost the Cement Company about £23 and the county about £57. Three chains would cost t the Cement company £23 and' the council £37, a total of £6O. Mr Dawson offered to supervise the work free. Teri feet wide by four inches thick would cost about £lO a chain. Councillors generally were very favourably inclined to the test, and thought it would prove instructive. It, was pointed out that the concrete portion of the main road, near Eketahuna, put down three years ago, was standing very well, and members thought that the saving in maintenance of concrete road as compared with ordinary metalled roads was a considerable item. The question of concreting the road 20ft or 10ft wide was raised, some of the councillors considering that while the concrete road the full width was all right for motors, it was not an advantage to horse traffic. It was unanimously decided to accept the offer of Mr Dawson, the width of the proposed experiment to be 10ft wide. It was pointed out that the council would be getting cement and supervision free, and other local bodies would be glad of a similar offer if the council did not avail themselves of it, and and the proposed locality of the test was very suitable.