INGLEWOOD COUNTY ROADS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1920, Page 2

INGLEWOOD COUNTY ROADS.

SUGGESTED SCHEME OF IMPROVEMENT. In accordance with a resolution passed at tho last meeting of the Inglewood County Council, instating the engineer to bring down a comprehensive system of road-making ii. tto county, the engineer, at Tuesday's meeting of tte Council, submitted a report as follows :

The adoption of a tar crowned or tar sealed road simply meats the prevention of abrasion and internal friction by consolidating the metal iuto one conglomerate mass, instead of consisting of a number of disintegrated units, ui.d the addition of a tar or bitumen compound provides a smooth, resilient wearing cushion which adds life to- the road bed, and incidentally comfort and convenience to the users. This Council has a considerable amount of road-making platt. The additional machinery essential, and which is required, is another motor truck, a stone-breaker of greater output, a tar heifer and sprayer of ire automatic type. A horse-drawn sweeping machine capablo of sweeping a width of six feet is a necessary adjunct to a tarring plait.

As to the main roads, tho Mountain Road and part of the Junction Road, which, it Is proposed should be constructed 16 feot wide, the road bed should be scarified and fonmed so that the surface would have the same shape as that of the wearing surface. So that animals may not slip or cars side-skid on (he smoott surface of the finished road, it is desirable that there should be much less cambtr or crown on a tar treated roadway than on ai.i ordinary water-bound macadam road. After being thoroughly rolled, four Inches thick of additional broken stone uniformly graded by screening should be evenly spread and rolled. Tills i 3 to reinforce the existing metal, which 13 thin and worn. After a few months of consolidation the road should then be grouted with one of the lighter preparations of tar or asphaltum at the rate of one gallon to tho square yard, applied with a temperature of 200deg. P. to 250 dcg. P. Then well blinded with small broken stone, free from diet, and thoroughly rolled In to fill the stal&ct voids. A flush coat of heavy tar or aspba/tlini should t! en be applied at the rate of ■ o([e-third gallon to the square yard and blinded with a sufficient amour, t of stone'chips or coarse sand to absorb the surpto tar. Asphaltum is more costly than distilled tar, tut has advantages claimed for it that compensate. Tho Mountain Road, Walpuka River to the northern boundary of tho county, is 10.4 wiles, and tho Junction Rood, Inglewood Borough to the Walwaka.ih.o River, Is 3.1 miles, making a tolal of 13% miles, at at.' estimated cost of £25,920.

On the following secondary roads it is proposed to tar grout to a width' of 14 feet. .Inaction Road, Inglewood Borough to Kaimata„ 3SO chains; Bristol Road from Junction Road, SO cliaiii3; Wortley Road, 100 chains; Tarikl Road, railway station to Mangaotea Stream, 320 chains; Egmont Road, Junction to Kaimiro, 300 chains; Lepper Road, Junction to Kaimiro, 300 chains; a total of 1480 chains, or 18% miles. As the above roads are not nearly so much used or as greatly worn as the two firstnamed dealt with in this report, a lighter treatment could be adopted. In miany parts these roads could be surfaced by the penetration method without the addition of strengthening metal, while the other portions would do with less strengthening metal than the two first-named roads, This I estimate could be done on an average at nppoxiiuntely £ll6O per mile, or a total for the secondary roads of £21,400, making a total for all roads of £47,380.

Agents and importers are backward in givli.g s fair quotation owing to the disturbed economic conditions following on tho war, an inflated currency, Increased cost of production, and higher rate of exchange. The following, however, may be taken as an approximate guide of what the cost will run out at:—A seccr.d motor truck, £2000; stonebreaker, elevator and screen, £890; tarheater and spreader, automatic type, £SJ.O; horse drawn sweeper, £150; contingencies, £sso.—Total, £4IOO. The report will be discussed at a special meeting of tte Council, to be held on Saturday, October lGth.