ROAD CONSTRUCTION.
MODEM METHODS DEMANDED. During the meeting of the Egramit County Council on Tuesday the chairman remarked that at the April meeting ,he wou!d bring down a comprehensive scheme of road construction. Cr. Holder: "Why wait until April?" He considered it was too big a question for one man to tackle, and suggested that a committee should be set .up. The chairman pointed out that in April they would have the by-roads new under tlie control of the Parihaka Road Board to consider. He favored the appointment of a committee. Cr. Sinclair said that he had given the reading problem considerable thought, and was going to move that a committee be sot up to go into the question. They had to adopt modern methods of row! construction. He thought that a report made by the engineer a few months ago on the saving to be effected by procuring their metal from a depot at the Opna beach had been passed by too lightly. This rr-port shewed that metal could be delivered along She road five miles on either side of tlie depot at a cost of 4s 4.43 d per yard, as against 7s to 14s per yard on an average of a mile haulage by the present system. Neighboring counties had gone in for tar-sealed roads with good results Concrete roads were alau coming to llk fore. He admitted that the financial fuestion was a big one. Dealing with the framing of bylaw?, he vhought the council should restrict the pace, but to restrict the load carried would be a serious mistake, as tlie large- the load the cheaper the rate. The committee might give the approximate cost respectively of 16ft. tar-sealed and concrete roads, with their estimated life. They could also consider the question of central crushing depots, and lay before the council some system of finance. They might consider also the question of erecting toll-gates, so as to get some revenue from tourists, though he expected the colle icicn would be too expensive to make them of much use. He then moved that a conva-iiteo be set up consisting of the chairman, Crs. Green, Holder, Cornish and the mov?r and the engineer, to report at next meeting. Cr. Green seconded. He considered their rate? would be lighter if they borrowed an amount of money to lay down the roads properly Cr. Cornish considered tlie scheme should be gone on with at onea Cr. O'Brien favored tarred roads, but he doubted if the tar-sealing could be financed by the council. They must consider the by-roads as well as the main roadi. The cost would be beyond them. He did not favor concrete roads, as ectt'era' horses could not use them. He wonll favor the Main South Eoad and the Lltham Road being tar-sealed. Thy riiairman said that he had intended to introduce a simple scheme. He did not think the concrete roads would be in the scheme of practical politics, as ratepayers would not borrow sufficient monjy, and they would not go in for any scheme without the sanction of rateHe considered it would pay to go in for a loan to do the main roads, and give the ratepayers on any bv-roads the option of having their roads" tarred if they v.-ii-hed.
The motion was unanimously carried.
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Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1919, Page 3
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551ROAD CONSTRUCTION. Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1919, Page 3
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