CONCRETE CHANNELLING AND KERBING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3441, 22 March 1920, Page 5

CONCRETE CHANNELLING AND KERBING.

MISTAKES THAT ARE BEING

MADE.

(To The Editor.)

Sir,-—Kindly allow me the space in your valuable paper, to say a. few words; on the class of concrete that is being put dbwn by the Taihape Borough Council

(1) The concrete put down by the Council will be a failure becatfse it is killed before it is put in its place.

-(2) First of all, it is mixed and after the ‘mixing is done, it is left to lie on the mixing stage, sometimes for 15 minutes before a start -is made to put it in its place, and Ibefore the last of each mixing is put down, one hour has gone’ by. After ‘it has remained on the stage for a time it is shovelled into a barrow, wheeled a distance and shovelled once again, and by the time it is put in its place it is just about half dead, and therefore is useless, and you will find that before three weeks pass by it will start to crumble away.

(3) The foundation where the kerbing and channeling is laid down is of no more use than if it had been made of straw. In places the foundation is far more solid than other places, and it will sink down from two to six inches before twelve months go by.

(4) The channeling will split '?l'way from the kerbing, because it is weak along the kerbing.

(5) The timber used is mostly bits, and the kenbing will be .all shapes. Good work cannot be expected if rubbish is used for frame work.

(6) The’ fault of the concrete is that it has' lost from 35 to 40 per cent. of its strength, through letting it remain on the stage after it is mixed. If you allow it to remain where you have mixed it, it will lose 1% per cent. of its strength for every minute that it remains there, and it will lose 1 per cent. for every time that it is’ turned or handled, after it starts to set; therefore by leaving it so long before it is put in its required place, it commences to set and by handling it after it as commenced to ;set you spoil it, and it is very little better than pugged clay. Thanking you kindly for the valuable space allotted me. I am. etc._.

‘J. T. DAVEY.

STREET IMPROVEMENT LOAN. : AN EXPERT CRITIC. _ ’ - , (To The‘ Editor.) , Sir,——May I claim some 4 of your "valuable space to voice my disapproval of the way the Mayor and Councillors are proceeding to expend the ‘loan money -on street improvement; also the manner of t.he Mayor in expressing his opinion _of the way he would treat ratepayers vrho will not allow either him or his Council, to ride rough shod over them and cause them to spend hundreds of pounds to rectify the errors: A of . the Council. As it is quite patent to the ordinary layman that neither the Mayor nor the Councillors have given the proposed scheme for improvements the necessary time and consideration for such a scheme, or, if they have, it shows that they are incapable of carrying it out, as it is quite abvious “they dou’t know where ‘they are.” Now, Sir, the proposed improvements as laid down by the Council include in the first part. of raising or lowering our present footpath levels regardless of the configuration of the adjoining properties, leving some high and dry, and others buried, so. that they will be waterlogged. They intend to tear up our main thoroughfares that have taken years to consolidate. and thousands of pounds to metal, and to what purpose, I fail to conceive. They have commenced operations on a. grand scale on the 10w—lying side of the street, which is the laughing stock of the town, by laying concrete curbs“ stuck up in the air on loose clay and mould about lin. deep (enough said). They have laid the curb so high that they have to alter the fall of the footpath from two inches to one, in a footpath 12 feet Wide, So as to keep ‘the footpath ‘below the floor level of business Premises. In other parts it is: their proposed present intention to leave the concrete footpaths out altogether, leave old footpaths as they are now, and have a drop of six or seven inches in the footpaths of our main thoroughfare, and in other ‘places 3, rise of eleven inches. I believe that in another place they will bury a busi. ness premises about 2]. inches; and in face or this the Mayor stated at the last meeting of the Council that simply because the ratepayers interested wonft allow the Mayor or his Councn zfiuse them to spend hundreds of I ds (which «by the way the Conncif will have to provide) to reinstate their business premises to their proposed levels. he will ‘leave the por‘tionsin front of these particular premises in their present condition (if

he is allowed to). This is ellidently the sort of discussion that goes On at the Councll_ Now Sir, analyse the scheme as laid down by the Council and 1 win guarantee to get any sixth standard school boy to lay out a bet[ter proposal, as it shows want of iknowledge from its very inception. lWhere is our Chamber of Commerce, surely it is time they woke up? It is high time that they and the ratepayers took a hand in the gaifie to stop useless waste, as it is plainly visible that if the proposed scheme is iallowed to go on the loan money will ibe spent before half the scheduled work is completed, not counting the damages that the Council may incur from property owners, besides being an eyesore for years to come. Just fancy, it is proposed to have two steps from our main thoroughfare to the footpath in the main business centre of "the town. Ye Gods! What next. Who ever heard of such a proposal coming from their City Fathers. Now, Sir, it is useless to criticise any proposal unless you are prepared to cite a remedy In the first place it is absolutely necessary to ‘stop proceedings at once, tear up what has already been done, make the first loss the best loss, and thereby save thou~sands in the end. Taihape, from its natural lay, is one of the easiest boroughs in New Zealand to lay off roads, .footpaths and drainage in, there is -not one natural difficulty in the way. Take your old footpath levels which were laid to the natural fall of the ,!au«l e-n an even grade. Business 'premises have all :been built to suit ,that level and for the life of me I 'O/annot sec ' any necessity Ito alter }them except in unimportant instanlees. Build your kerbs and channels {to suit the present footpath levels as ‘near as possible. Take off the‘ crown of the road and level into the sides, thereby reserving a good consolidated‘ road, and leave the difference in the level of the two sides in the road.: Eliminate the two down and one up; step business, satisfy the whole of, your ratepayers and make’ your box--: oug_h a pleasure to live in. And, now? Sir, I have dwelt at length on thisi proposal as I felt it was my dut§r“fo‘ speak out in the interests of tile ratepayers. and I trust that it’ will be taken in the spirit it is meant, the general good to us all. Before clos-i mg, I think that I must again reiterate that the Borough Council will be wise to immediately stay proceetlings to save further loss. Wait till we find out where we are. as I feel sure‘ that the generality of ratepayers do; not understand the scheme as laid, down by the Council, and it will be! too late to howl when the money is‘ spent. Thanking you in anticipation! I am. etc.. i

G. WRIGHTSON. Taihape. March 22nd.