FORWARD TO BITUMEN.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 121, 18 February 1926, Page 1

FORWARD TO BITUMEN.

COMPARATIVE ROADING COSTS. Matamata and Oroua. An Illuminating Letter.

In a letter to- the engineer of the Matamata County Council (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald), replying to Mr. Fitzgerald’s inquiry relative to the costs of metalling in the Oroua county, the engineer (Mr. R. Harding) stated that he had been through the greater portion of the Matamata county recently; and from what he saw he was satisfied that there could be no comparison of costs between the two counties. Oroua main road had been gravelled for at least thirty years, and during that period a splendid foundation of road had been built up, and in s-ome cases all he had to do was to surface with fine gravel. In other cases where the road was rough, due to the presence of Targe stone, he had it scarified and reshaped and rolled, | and surfaced with fine gravel. In very, few cases had it been necessary to increase the depth of gravel on the roads. The £7O quoted for maintaining was for the main heavy traffic roads, and was made up principally of surfacing with fine gravel and the usual, after attention. ] During the last season the cost of delivering fine screened gravel on the 1 roads worked out at an average of 5s per cubic yard, and in some cases was as low as 2s 6d. His reason -for keeping to the gravel was that there were good supplies all over the county. But where gravel cost, say, 12s per yard delivered, or when maintenance exceeded £l2O per mile per annum, then he considered some method of bitumen surfacing should be seriously entertained.