AN IMPARTIAL WITNESS.

Otaki Mail, 18 May 1923, Page 4

AN IMPARTIAL WITNESS.

ELTHAM COUNTY CHAIRMAN ON BITUMEN KOADS. MAINTENANCE KEJ7UCED 50 PER CENT. AFTER I'AYING INTEREST.. "You have some terrible roads in thi > district and I have been surprised to lind that within a few miles of a city like Auckland such a state ol affair.; could exist," said Mr C. J. Belcher, chairman ol the Eltham County Council, in conversation with an Auckland Star representative. He went on to soy that whilst lie did nol wish to blow the triinipei ol his own district in 0 loudly he thoughi the Taranaki district could be taken as an object lesson in roading. I!efcrring to the ElIhatti County he said there were <«•

and every year the council was-push-ing on its '.scheme, so thai in a few years it hoped lo have almost every road of any irnpoi lauce laid down in this way. The tar-sealing system was commenced about twelve years ago and the council now experienced a great degree of gratification at the success of its policy. "Tar-sealing is no longer an experiment. Bather it is a soundly established fact" continued Mr Belcher, "and in view of this I cannot understand why it is not more generally followed out by all counties where motor traffic is heavy and good roads are required to open up the land and increase settlement. There is no doubt that our roading policy has proved immeasurably beneficial to the district. Enhanced prices for property have followed the advent ol the tarsealed road in every instance, since farmers much prefer a good road when they are obliged to transport their milk to the factories every day. Since the inception of the roading policy the district lias progressed to a hitherto unprecedented extent, and the council's programme has been endorsed by everyone, indeed. 1 feel pretty sure that' a candidate for Ihe council who did not support the roading scheme would have ;i remote chance of gaining a seat.

the Kllham Council realised about twelve years ago thai macadam roads were proving too expensive, and stepwere taken to inaugurate another method. In tar-sealing the solution ol ihe problem was round. Mosl people arc aware lhat tar-sealing a road means laving down about eight or nine inches of crushed metal, which is Ihoroughlv rolled, and this is larrcTl and sanded, the completed job being a carpet-like surface of asphalt, such as i- presented in Queen street. The fill ham County has found thai bitumen i- superior ii, other Inrs a- regards Ho- worl;. and n i- mosl generally used. AhOll'l twelve year- ago work wa- coiimieuccd on ihe EHham-Opu-uake road, and the cost ol far-sealing amounted lo approximated C-JOOO per mile. I.n it- lor r stale the cos! of maintenance as regards ibis road had been C:l«f» per mile each year and. as thiil was the case before the motor car came into such general use, the pr eni-dav c.osl would probably he greater. iSince this road has been tar-sealed J Ihe i osi ol maintenance bad i n mil down bv more than - r >o per cent. The

g j more rapidly than rlid a tar-sealed | road, which willi [irnper fitlenlion. a ! could be considered as heiricr virtnallv 5 I i.oriiianeril. Kxporls declared thai r,fi I years hence mis road would be as good JI as it was 10-dav. On n rough 0.-ii-mate the ordinary metal rond enuld { lie tar-sealed in Ihe F.lthnm Cotmlv tor CISOO per mile. Of course, said Mr Belcher, this price could not he , taken as an indication of what it would ! ,-osf to lav down a tar-sealed road in Auckland, since the Rltharn r.ounfv I was faced with Ihe difficulty of proI curing supplies of melnl in adequate rpuintilies. In c,oine ridings Ihe bonldt ers for crushing had lo be taken rrntn j the river bed. one hv one and this I materially increased the cost. Making reference to Hie wearing qualities of tar-scaled roads, Mr Belflier stiid the Taranaki districl was ,-•■-- | sonliallv a stnll faiTn rountrv, with a | multitude >i dairy factories, and the numhei of lorries met with on the (roads was really surprising.'. nig lorries wiih five and six ton loads were the i tile, and it n quired really ••:■: 'i 1- ! lent surfaces lo stand \;p to the traffic. The lar-soaled roads had proved equal to the demands in everv wav. Incidentnlly, Mr Belcher remarked thai concrete roads could nol he compared with tar-sealed roads for country work, and the cost also idid not compare I' favourably. Concrete roads cost about 12s fid per square yard as against Is Gd for tar-seal in g. On the Eltham-Opu- | nrtke road toll gates levying Is fid per I day on each vehicle- had proved sucI' cessful. and no great objection had been taken to the system. Nine out of every ten motorists preferred payi ing the toll lo travelling over an indifferent road. Mr Belcher referred to the fact that many North Auckland people whom he bad driven over the tar-sealed roads, had expressed their delight, at the same time saying very ' uncomplimentary things of the apologies for roads which were found in many pari- of their own district. The method following in laying down the roads was also favourably commented upon. All the Workmen employed, said Mr Belcher, were conveyed to their work on motor lorries earn day. and hack to the depot again at "knoeking-off time.' - In conjunction with the excellent roads the council had a fine system of ' bridges, there being only one wooden , structure in the whole county, and j this was shortly to be replaced.

j "Our by-laws are said fo be the most !' up-to-date and complete in the world." continued Mr Belcher. "They were specially drafted and govern in all nor only the ETtham County, but eight I counties of the province. This is apI predated by motorists, who are enabled to pass' on from county to county knowing thai they are subject to the i same regulations. There is no speed I limit, but in parts, where circumstanl ce- are thought to warrant it, notices I are posted warning drivers to restrict f their speed to 10 or 1"> miles per hour, as the ensp may be." Touching briefly on the matter of I finance. Mr Belcher said it was, of t course, impossible to carry out a pro- ' gramme of tar-sealing roads on the ordinary revenue from rates. It could ' only be done bv means of a loan. A i total sum of ClOO.ono bad been pro"I cured In several loans, and in the ' course ol another 14 vears this would |if liquidated The great point which Ihe desired tc make clear was that the lost oi maintaining ihe tar-sealed j roads, plus interest on the loan, had ! been less than half the cost of main- ■ taining a macadam road. When the necessity 'of paving interest had been ! removed, the ratepayers of the county would have a system of flrst-claPs roads ' which would cost so little to maintain . Ihat the rates could he struck at a : much lower percentage than would be I possible with roads other than tar- ', sealed.