ROAD WORKS IN FRANKLIN.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 581, 5 November 1920, Page 2

ROAD WORKS IN FRANKLIN.

COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT. At Friday's meeting of the Frahk-< " Jin County Council the engineer,. Mr. 1. F. McArthur, reported as follows: Government Grants and The total rmourft of Government grants and subsidies for the construction of roads and bridges in Franklin County, as-appearing in the l';iblic' Works Estimates apiounted to (Particulars of the?amounts appeared in a recent issue of the "Times.") Plant and Machinery: As your council is aware a poll of ratepayers is being taken on November 10 for U 8,000 for the purpose of purchasing up-to-date plant and machinery to enable works in the county to be < carried out. In my opinion it is most important that this loan should be carried. At the present is impossible to let pontracts road works at reasonable rates. If the works under available loan iboney, general revenue of the county and Government grants are to be o|rried out expeditiously, economically and in an up-to-date manner, adequate machinery must then be available to undertake such work. The opening up of the Mercer quarry and the installation of proper machinery would be a great benefit to a large propor-ji lion-of the county. Supplies of metal .', could be sent to different railway ■ stations on the main line and also the Waiuku branch line. This metal i would be dumped and afterwards ele-« ' vated into motor trucks with oildriven elevators and carted direct on . to the different roads as required. The I metal available at the Mercer quarryI is of the very best quality and could . be quarried, crushed and delivered to the different railway stations at .* considerable reduced cost compared ■ with locally procured stone under the present small contract system. : The difficulty experienced in procuring metal supplied to the landings on i the Manukau Harbour proves conclu- : sively that you council will, if roads 1 are to be maintained and new works • carried out, be obliged to procure an : up-to-date boating, plant for convey- - ing stone, shells, and other road material. An unlimited* supply of stone • can be obtained on Mr. McLaughlin's property, "Wiri," and_ placed direct : from the quarry to vessel orvjaarge. - This stone, if handled with proper ap- ) plianegs, could be quarried, spawled >ind delivered at the different landings on the harbour at a very reason- ; cost, Sea shells could also be t greatly used both for the sealing of • metalled roads and for taking the ■ pace of metal on roads where traffic is light. In connexion with the teams plants already working in the county tractors for hauling the Austin grad-» . ers should be used; an increased number of thesfe teams plants are required and the present ones enlarged.', The road construction work done by the preset, county teams plants has proved that ft can be done at a. lower

price per cubic yard than under present conditions by contivc", the ieason being partly due to arbetter system by t.:ie men of carrrog out the works and partly to more up-to-date

ind better v ant beiftg used.

cmshing, hauling and rolling plqjjts at present in use cGuld be much more economically run* by substituting oildriven tractors ii> place of the present steatn tractors. The cost of steam Cartage, and cartage of water daily to steam tractors adds considerably to the cost of the work clone by these plants. With up-to-date and suitable machinery the repaying and laying down of metal roads could be done to suit the.present-day trallic. As regards repairs to metal roads under the present system,, without thb proper appliances it is impossible to give satisfaction as the crushed metal is simply placed on the roads where required and allowed to be consolidated by traffic. With the aid of road roller, scarifier, etc., these repairs could be carried out under a .proper system. Where roads arefceing metalled the stone could with the use of screen road roller be laid down in twoStourses. This method would give a smooth surface immediately after the work was completed... In my opinion with the use of modern machinery your council would be enabled to make a vast improvement in the roading system of this county and give sittsfiction to everyone concerned. ■ Landing at Whangamaire; Manukaa Harbour: Permission has up to the present been given by Mr. Gtasson to land stone at a landing on his property. The area available will not, however, be sufficient for future,-re? quirements. It will be to.' acquire a suitable ilea of IftVid-dnd excavate a landing and acc to enable motor trucks stone and other roading nriterji&di* rect from the binding., I would'sTiggest that steps be taken io acqdire sufficient land for'this purpose.,* . Awhitu Specii! Loan Engineering, are being made of roatte for i works (under allocations in the dif-, ferent subdivisions. The surveys of existing roads are being made first with the object of getting the work under way at the earliest possible diile. Deviations can then be laid off and the process of legislation taken in hand, whilst the construction works on the existing roads are being carried out. 1 might mention that the engineering surveys and plan work, etc., in connexion with this loan entails a considerable amount of work. The area of the rating area in*which the loan of £IO,OOO ij to be expended together with Government subsidies is 75 square miles, and the length of roads over which the work extends totals 64 miles.