COST OF ROAD UP-KEEP.

Otaki Mail, 4 October 1922, Page 3

COST OF ROAD UP-KEEP.

COUNTY COUNCIL'S HEAVY BURDEN Hie heavy and increasing traffic i over the main roads through the Horowhenua County has thrown a big burden on the Council within recent years to maintain the roads, and this will be realised when it is stated that the cost of upkeep Wiis year averaged £l2O per mile. The county boundaries extend from the Waikaiiae River in I the south to the Wirokino bridge over the Manawatu River on the one side, and to just beyond the Tokomaru township on the other route. The total length of main road is 5i miles. so that the cost of maintenance for the present year only is approximately ' £6500. This does not include bridge j upkeep or attention to district roads. | A good idea, of how the roads suffer under the present traffic conditions is afforded by the experience on the Le-vin-Foxton road. Five miles of this was recently put into good order with an excellent running- surface. When motorists and lorry owners discovered this they used this piece of road to show what their vehicles could do in the way of pace, and in a short, time the surface wa.s knocked to pieces, and will have to be built up* again. This is only one particular length of road; there are numerous other instances where the same thing has occurred at a heavy cost to the

county. Whilst it is difficult to get at the cost per mile of road maintenance, say, ten vears ago, the county records show that in 1910, 1013 and 1915 metalling was done very much cheaper, and wages were much below the present rates. The old contract prices indicate that metal was supplied at 2/2 2/3, 3/, ty2, and up to 13/ per yard (the latter work being near Wirokino bridge, necessitating long haulage). To-day the prices are double those quoted, and in some cases more than doubled. An increase of 100 per cent for metalling is a modest estimate, and 50 per cent in regard to wages. Not only is there these heavier charges, but the roads have not the life they formerly had, owing to the excessive traffic, 60 that practically twice the expenditure is required in a given time than was the case, say ten years £.go.