THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1913. BOROUGH ROAD-MAKING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 105, 27 June 1913, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1913.

BOROUGH ROAD-MAKING.

"We nothing extenuate, nor set down aualit in malice."

The fact that tha Works Committee have teen asked to report on the heat method of impruving King street, ii conjunction with Cr Comrie's intimation of hi 3 intention to renew the attack on tha roadmaking methods in vrgue, indicates that the Borough Council will shortly rave to consider one of the most difficult problems at. present confronting them. Owing to circumstances outside their control the Council Lave in hand a large proportion of unspent loan monies for roadmaking purposes. The work cannot be lecommenced until the winter has passed, but it may be presumed that the Council will make their plans during the "off season." In doing this we hope that they will evolve a clear cut policy for their roaJ construction. To merely say that such and such a road is to be metaled means nothing. The Council should go further. It should, first of sll, decide which Bra to be regarded as main roads, and which, as such, must be mere substantially metalled than the others. Following this the order in which the different raads are to be undertaken remains to be determined. Then the manner in which they shall ba made logically presents itself for discussion. Cr Comrie has been a very strong critic of past methods, and we beileve in the truth of his antenticn that a3 long a3 those methods prevail Pukekohe w'll never have good roads. It would appear that whilst the traffic that passes over our principal thoroughfares has grown from year to year provision has never been made to meet the increasing strain. We have no intention of labouring the question of road-making machinery, but feel bourd to say that to properly make road 3 to carry the traffic of Pukekohe, the employment cf machinery is imperative. How the roads should be made is not within cur province to say. The Council possess a very capable foreman who can give them sound advice, and if it was thought necessary the Council might go further and seek the opinion of an experienced engineer, to whom the issue of the economy and desirability or other-vise cf introducing road-making machinery might also be referred. We leave t'j the last one of the most serious phases of the roading problem. Certain allocations have been sanctioned for certain roads. Supposing that these allocations are insufficient to thoroughly make the road', what will tha Council do? To make ourselves clear we will take Harris street as an illustration. This is destined to be one of the most used reads in the borough, and when metalled will divert a large proportion of the traffic which passes over King street. Recently we were discussing the matter with a gentle man who is thoroughly qualified to express an opinion, and he gave us the following rough estimates of the cost uf mtlilling and forming this r ad the whele length from side to side, <-'2600; 30 fcit wide, £2000; or if oilv tha section from Manukau road to Queer; sticat were taken JL'IOOO for tlu full width and £I2OO

for 30 feet. Thia did not include any provision for footpaths or kerting and channelling. The Council have two issues to consider: 1. Shall they make Harris street properly as far as the loan money (£1000) re'mits? 2. Shall they expend the £IOOO on the whtle of Harris street in metalling it in a superficial manner? Tries; two questions doubtless apply to other street', so that the importance that the determination of a policy involves wiil at once be sefn. If the Council adopt the first usue it will mgan having; to raise a loin almost immediattly to complete the principal roads; if the second is cho3ui the evil day is deferred. But wiih the first cuurse there will remain the satisfaction that the work will list for years and that tha cost of maintenance will be small. With the second the patching bill will be heavy and the life of the road brief, though the inter-st and sinking tund will remain as a tax for a number of years afterwards.