ROAD SURFACES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1919, Page 7

ROAD SURFACES.

BOROUGH ENGINEER'S ANNUAL REPORT. In his annual report to the New Plymouth Borough Council, the engineer (Mr W. H. Cqok) says: In last year's report I went fully into the matter of road surfaces and costs. I need not go over the same ground, at the same time come persons do not seem to understand the terms used, although I thought I had explained them explicitly. I refer chiefly to the term "tar-sealing," more popularly known as "tar painting." In the former the term "sealing 1 / is used to mean to seal down the surface. With this explanation it is hoped those persons who expect or think it possible to do "penetration" or "grouting" work for a little over £3 per chain will see the impossibility of doing bo. Tarsealiug is, perhaps, the cheapest known method of treating road surfaces; it is | not, nor has it ever been, advocated as being the most permanent; it does, however, give a very fair return for the expenditure, and is a most popular method where, traffic is light, mileage long and money short. When in Auckland attending the conference of civil engineers the question of laying down concrete roadways was very,fully discussed. The cost as given by the assistant city engineer from actual experience was 7s per square yard, to which must be added engineering and other costs not included. Allowing for the difference in cost of materials delivered in New Plymouth ray estimate as given last year at £4OOO per mile 12 feet wide, will be very near the mark. One mile of Devon Street, say between Egmont Street to the eastward, would cost approximately £24,000, to which must be added any costs incurred in removing water, gas or sewerage mains. From this it is seen concrete roads are not within easy possibility for some time to come. At this stage I would just mention that comparing costs of works in different localities must be very carefully done, otherwise the result will be misleading— rate of wages, prices of materials on ground and other factors seriously affetct the cost of finished work.