BOROUGH ROADS AND FOOTPATHS TO BE BITUMENISED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3560, 9 November 1926, Page 3

BOROUGH ROADS AND FOOTPATHS TO BE BITUMENISED.

The chief business of last night’s meeting of the Foxlon Borough Council was the considering of an offer by British Pavements Ltd., Wellington, to bitumenise the roads and roads and footpaths in the borough in connection with the No. 3 Loan for Roads and Footpaths Improvement, and supplying details of the proposed work. Cr. McMurray said the Council should accept the offer. The roads would be given twice as much surface if they were done by the Bri--tish Pavement Co.

IVtr G. Huntley (road foreman) when asked for his opinion on the matter said that he would like to see the offer accepted. The Council did not possess* the necessary plant for carrying out the work and a good deal of expense would be incurred if they had to purchase the necessary gea_r. The Mayor was in favour of holding thfe matter over for a short time. Cr. McMurray: We want to humup with this work. The weather has taken up now and a start should be made right away. He also said that it was more than probable that the British Pavement Co. would want to hire the Council's road grader and tractor if the tender was accepted. The Clerk pointed out that the tender was not! far out of the Council’s estimate for the work.

Cr. Parkin spoke in favour of accepting the tender. The Councilwould have some money coming to it from the Main Highways Board for Johnston and Union Sts., which had been declared main highways. The tender should be accepted and the work put. in hand immediately. Cr. Thompson spoke in suport of the acceptance of the tender. Cr. Woods was of the opinion that the te.nder should be accepted. . |Cr. Rand • pointed out, that a number of the footpaths that had been prepared by the borough road staff for tar-s'ealing now resembled pad-docks. Grass was coming up everywhere on them. The whole job should be done now, especially the footpaths. Cr. Cowley was in favour of experts doing the job. The Council would then be -sure of getting an expert job. _ The Mayor was not in favour of accepting the offer that night. The matter, in his opinion, should be held over for further consideration, and he suggested a special meeting in a fortnight’s time to deal with the matter.

Cr. McMurray said that if the Council accepted the offer Foxton would be one of the first boroughs to be bitumenised in New Zealand. Cr. Lucinsky favoured holding the matter over for further consideration. They were not spending a few pounds, he said, but thousands.

Cr. Walker said he would move that the matter be held over for one week.

Cr. Woods: Yon are only holding the matter over until you -see what, the Manawatu County Council will do. Haven’t we got brains enough to act for ourselves. We want to act on our own sometimes.

The Mayor: That is not so. We merely wish to investigate this firm.

Cr. McMurray said that it was a month since the matter had first come before the Works Committee. Cr. Woods then moved, seconded by Or. Parkin, that the offer of British Pavements Ltd. to nndertake the work be accepted, work to be- completed by 31st March, 1927, and that a bond of £SOO be furnished by the contractors, the agreement to this effect to be drawn up by Messrs Moore and Bergin. Cr. Walker then moved, an amendment, seconded by Cr. Thompson that the matter be held over until the 15th November. In speaking to the motion, Cr. Woods said that it was doubtful if the work could be done by the borough road staff this, summer. He would like ot see it done before the 31st March and saw no reason for hanging the matter up when they had such a* splendid offer. Cr. Walker said a little time would bo necessary to know if they were doing right or wrong in accepting the tender. A week would make' no difference to getting the work done by March 31st. The amendment was then put and lost, the Mayor and Crs. Walker, Thompson and Lueinsky voting in favour. • The moiion was then put and carried, the Mayor, Crs. Walker and Lueinsky voting against. The amount of the tender, which will absorb practically the balance of the loan money, lias yet to be adjusted.'