ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1700, 19 April 1917, Page 2

ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE.

“OF (he foin 1 million pounds a year that councils are spending, the roads would probaly absorb more than half,” slated the Sydney Morning Herald recently. “How much of this money is wasted 1 According to figures compiled for the Canadian Good Hoads Congress, only 50 cents out of every dollar spent on roads are effective. The reason for the discrepancy is the rule-of-thumb method of estimating costs, careless construction, and lack of testing methods. This is the loss in a country that possesses a Minister for Good Hoads, laboratories for testing materials, and the road wisdom, of the United Slates to draw upon. There is every chance that in Australia the margin of waste is much greater. No two road engineers think alike regarding the rival

claims of concrete, tar macadam, or plain metal roads. Most of them have different notions as to methods of making and maintaining roads. And there is no authority upon the subject where all the scattered knowledge could he gathered, tested, and proved. This State needs a Hoads Congress to bring order out of chaos of road Avaste.” in many Avays the, same remarks might apply to New Zealand, where road knoAvledge is admittedlv deficient.