SEALING OR PENETRATION?

Shannon News, 16 March 1928, Page 3

SEALING OR PENETRATION?

COUNTY WORK IN QUEEN STREET

HIGHWAYS BOARD SEEKS INFORMATION.

•In answer to the Horowhenua County proposal for tar-sealing the Queen Street (Levin) portion of the Main Highways, a letter was received from the District Engineer ot Public Works, at the Council meeting oil Saturday, asking that, if permission was obtained to seal 37 chains, the Council would advise him what it proposed to do with the stacks of metal and chips which had been placed alongside this road for the originally proposed penetration work. He also wished to know the quantity of metal, etc., that had been placed in dumps, and Uncost of placing it there. The chairman (Mr Monk) said it looked as if the Department was not altogether in favour of the sealing, but thought that the Council should use the penetration method. ROADING POLICY IN QUESTION. Cr. Jensen: If one part of the road is good enough for sealing, why not all parts? I have always opposed sealing. The original plan was for a penetration system all through. I cannot understand why sealing is seriously proposed. If we can seal that piece, we can sea! the whole County road, and at fai less cost than what it is costing now. We could save thousands of pounds, and not have to scratch our heads to find out how to make our finances spin out, as at present. We should come to a decision as to whether it is necessary to seal or not. We are notr iu the exoerimeutal stage now. I should like ‘o know what the Board think of the sealing. I have not had any information from them as to whether they approve of sealing. I don’t think that a road w.th through traffic on it is going to stand with sealing, especially when I look over the roads that have been sealed. They are not going to stand up to heavy motor lorries; they aer not going to be of any permanent benefit to the County with the traffic it has. The trouble with this County is, we are only getting fifty-fifty, and the Board should give us a higher subsidy for a more costly road. The Chairman: We are asking for that. Cr. Jensen: We have not been successful in asking. I should like the Council, to take up a compai’ison of cost with other counties. | The Chairman: It- has been taken up, and is before the Board now. I am going to ask you to-day to make further progress. I want to know what you propose to do with this.AN ADVOCATE OF SEALING. Cr. Ryder: I think Cr. Jensen is talkfug ’without serious thought.. For a Iciiw time I have been under the impression that the sealed road, if made r ght, is just as good as the other roan, iii Te Horo township there is a little piece of road scaled, which has.given every satisfaction and at .very little cost. The piece through the Settlement, except that it is narrow and a little too round, has given satisfaction. If figures were taken out in con- j nection with sinking fund and so forth, J that road would probably be found to j stand not far from the others. ! The Chairman:. You have to consider! the questions of time and maintenance, j Cr. Ryder: If you keep the water j out, the body of the road is good for all time. - Cr. Bryant Said that sealed roads were apt to ■ break away at the sides. He would rather see all the roads put down in bitumen. | Cr. Jensen: Cr. Ryder accused me of speaking before I think. To emphasise j Ins point, he draws my attention to a bit of road tar-sealed right over, with no outsides to break —sealed from kerb to -kerb. If he were to call my attention to roads which have been sealed through Woodville towards Dannevirke, lie would have a different opinion. The Chairman: Hear, hear. 1 agree with that. . Cr. Kilsby: In the first place, did not the Council get some information regarding the sealing of that road, and that, the Board was agreeable to it? Cr. Barber: I don’t think it was agreed to. Mr Anderson was trying to get it through. Cr. Kilsby: I was told they were agreeable to it. The Chairman: I dou’t think so. The suggestion was made by Air Anderson that wc seal that portion of Queen Street, and that was adopted by the Council. This is the application to the Board for 'authority to seal it. They are asking what you are going to do with the metal you have got. there for penetration. Cr. Kilsby: It is only natural that they would.' What would we do with it—take, it to the other side of Potts’ Hill ?

The Chairman: You know my opinion of sealing and penetration. I don’t think I need say anything about it. GOOD FOUNDATION ESSENTIAL. Cr. Kilsby: Sealing is quite satisfactory if you" have a foundation beneath it to keep it where it should be. That piece of road has a pretty good foundation —probably better than the Settlement had. It had a good doing with the roller a short time ago, and, I think sufficient to consolidate it for sealing purposes. Up to now there has been no objection from the Board. They want to know now what we are doing with the metal, because they have paid some money towards that metal being put there. We can only advise them what our intentions are in regard to that metal.

Cr. AlcLeavey: We have finally de cided to tar-seal it, then?

The. Chairman: The Council decided twelve months ago. Cr. McLeavey: I think, it ought to be bitumenised. The Chairman: So do I.

TRIBUTE TO BOROUGH WORK. Cr. Catley: I think there is some misapprehension in the minds of councillors. If we proposed to keen on sealing with tar, it would not be a success. The first coat is one for sealing only. When they go to improve on that, they

put bitumen on it, and that gives- good resistance. I think that has been proved often enough. In Levin you can see whether a sealed road w4ll stand up if properly done. If the if oundation u properly put down and the surface properly prepared, first with a coat of tar and then with bitumen, it will by absolutely successful.’ The Settlement experience is enough to prove that i 1 can be done at, less cost than now. Tht main roads will not want success.ie ' treatments like sealed roads, but I be lieve it is an economic proposition. 1 quite recognise that the. Board, in ass ing what we are going to do with the metal, are within their fights. Tiny are fifty-fifty owners, and are interev. ed ,n what is going to become of j:. When the new County Engineer ermei in and has a chance to go over the estimates, it will be time enough for us to decide what we are going to do; bo. the metal there will not be lost. 1 'should -like to see the original decision in regard to sealing Queen Street adhered to. , „ ' COMMON KNOWLEDGE. Cr. Ryder: Councillors are losing sight of the fact that the Te Horo riding i.wel! over-expended. The Chairman: You need not reiterate it. We well know it. Cr. Ryder: Otaki is going to be over spent, "it .was agreed to seal this L, see if we could not do something to'wards the Wirokino riding .without being over-spent. I hope, with Cr, Catlev, that it will be given a trial. Cr. Earlier: They are taking exccp tion to the bitumen breaking at the edge, with a 4-in.' thickness, yet- they say the sealing will -break. . _ Cr. Kilsby: One will break just as much as the ocher.. Cr. Barber: It stands to reason tha: the sealing must break much easie;. Do we pi opus e to go from kerb to keib in Queen -Street? The Chairman: No. Cr. Barber: I object to any deviation from our original procedure., Cr. Kilsby: I think councillors will remember the time when Air Andcison went into this matter. He suggested that this was a very good piece to try an experiment, on, after he had gone into it with the Board. The Chairman: You will eventually be carting stuff back there that you ( proposed "t<? cart away for different 1 roads. That is a matter of op nion of ! mine. . . Cr. Kilsby: That was the original pro- [ gramme. i The Chairman: It is time wc report I ed progress. Cr. Catley: We don’t want that metal that is there. It can be utilised I for other purposes. I The Chairman: What is our reply to i the Board’s letter? INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLI ED. Cr. Kilsby moved that a reply be sent to the Board, giving them the information asked for, as far as it is available. i The motion was carried.