FOOTPATH MATERIALS.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 August 1919, Page 4

FOOTPATH MATERIALS.

The Town Clerk, 'Z’ai.h_ape,—— . T In reply to yoursof the 18th inst._. (from His Worsliipwthe Mayor), asking‘ whether, in my opinion, concrete or‘ asphalt is preferable for the construction of footpaths in Taihapc, their"Arespeetive merits may be summarised as: followS:- . - Concrete, while more expensive, is. ~;pl'ac"c'icalvly permanent, ;requiring no maintenance as to ifs surface, has a. good appearance, but is hard to walk on for any length of time. Its chief. drawback is that the accurate setting of the slabs is a matter of some difficulty, and ::w;:1.; ‘:0 unequal set’tlement of the ground, the slabs are: {liable to beconre displaced to some[extent as ‘time goes on. An instance!of this occurred in Victoria Avenue, N Wanganui, -and it has been found*ad--visable to remoie the slabs -and re—'place them with asphalt. These slabs. _have been down for years, and have been disturbed from time to time in [making service conneettions, ; so that‘ this "is, perlizips, an ex‘tremeV ease. It,is: noticeable in Wellington, where, the slabs are in general use, thatlgtherer are many streets in which the paving; his perfect, :01‘ nearly so, while in; others. girrcgularities are apparent, dueyeitheri |to’rlapse of time or diifering quality. 1 of ground. _

The asphalt footpath, which is cheap» er "in firsf; cost, and resilient to Walk on, requires top-dressing, say, every two years with tar and sand, at a cosfi of about 4d per square yard". It is as clean and sanitary as concrete, but is not as good in appearance. In suburban streets of very‘ light. ‘traffic, and on new ground, it is liable -toflxeeome cracked and waved by the growth of roots underneath, unless care is taken that all‘ such are removed_

It is a matter of difficulty to advise‘ you definitely, on the writer"s slight knowledge of your local eonilitious, which pavement. will suit you best. As FOll are -aware, We hafie used nothing‘ but asphalt here for many years, am?‘ on the whole I would recommend its-‘l-'qoPf-iOII, but would enlpllasi'se that your consuffing engineer, Mr Williams, who has no doubt given full consideraa tion to your problem, can probably advise yf‘u better than I ean.—YourS‘ faithfully, N. CROFTON STAVELEY, Associate M. Inst‘. C.E.Borough Engineer, Wanganui.