GOOD ROADS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1922, Page 7

GOOD ROADS.

TARANAKI LEADS THE WAY. I AN OBJECT LESSON FOR THE NORTH. “You have some terrible roads in this district, and I have been surprised to find that within a few miles of a city like Auckland such a state of affairs could exist,” said Mr. C. J. Belcher, chairman of the Eltham County Council, when in conversation with an Auckland Star representative last week. He went on to bay that whilst he did not with to blow the trumpet of his own district too loudly he thought the Taranaki district could be taken as an object lesson in reading. Referring to the Eltham County he said there were 70 miles oj 1 tar-sealed roads completed, and every' year the council was pushing on its I scheme, so that in a very few years it hoped to have almost every road of any importance laid down in this way. The tar-sealing system was commenced about 12 years ago, and the council now experienced a great degree of gratification at the success of its policy. “Tarsealing is no longer an experiment. Rather it is a soundly established fact,” , continued Mr. Belcher, “and in view of this I cannot understand why it Is not more generally followed out by all counties where motor traffic is heavy and good roads are required to open up the land and increase settlement. Therj is no doubt that our roading policy has proved immeasurably beneficial to the district. Enhanced prices for property have followed the advent of the tarsealed road, in every instance, since farmers much prefer a good roaff when they are obliged to transport their milk to the factories every day. 'Since the inception of the roading policy the district lias progressed to a hitherto unprecedented extent, and the council’s programme has been endorsed by everyone. Indeed; I feel pretty sure that a candidate for the council who did not support the roading scheme would have a remote chance of gaining a seat. MACADAM TOO EXPENSIVE. The Eltham Council realised about twelve years ago that macadam roads were proving too expensive, and steps were taken to inaugurate another method. In tar-sealing the solution of the problem was found. Most people are aware that tar-sealing a road means, laying down about eight or nine inches of crushed metal, which is thoroughly rolled, and this is tarred, and sanded, the completed job being a carpetlike surface of asphalt, such as is presented in Queen Street. The Eltham County haa found that bitumen is su- • perior to other tars as ’ regards this work, and it is moat generally used. About twelve years ago work wae commenced on the lEltham-Opunake road, and the cost of tar-sealing amounted to approximately £2OOO per mile. In its former state the cost of maintenance as regards this road had been £3OO per mile each year and, as that was the case before the motor car came into such general use, the present-day cost would probably be greater. Since this road had been tar-sealed the cost of maintenance had been cut down by more than 50 per cent. The ordinary macadam road wore out much more rapidly than did a tar-sealed road, which with proper attention, could be considered as being virtually permanent. Experts declared that fifty years hence this road would be as good as it was to-day. On a rough estimate the ordinary metal road could be tar-sealed in the Eltham County for £l5OO per mile. Of course, said Mr. Belcher, this price , could not be taken as an indication of what it would cost to lay down a tarsealed road in Auckland, since the Eltham County was faced with the difficulty of procuring supplies of metal in adequate quantities. In some ridings the boulders for crushing had to be taken fiom the river bed, one by one, and this materially increased the cost. In districts where there was an abundance of metal available the work could be done on a cheaper scale. EXCELLENT WEARING QUALITIES. Making reference to the wearing qualities of tar-sealed roads Mr. Belcher said the Taranaki district was essentially a small farm country, with a multitude of dairy factories, and the number of lorries met with on the roads was really surprising. Big lorries with five and six ton loads were the rule, and it required really excellent surfaces to stand up to the traffic. The tar-sealed roads had proved equal to the demands in every way. Incidentally, Mr. Belcher remarked that concrete roads could not be compared with tar-sealed roads for country work, and the cost also did not compare favourably. Concrete roads cost about 12/6 per square yard as ngainst 4/C for tar-senling. Cm the El tham-Opunake road toll gates levying 1/6 per day -on each vehicle had proved successful, and no great objection had been taken to the system. Nine out of every ten motorists preferred paying the toll to travelling over an indifferent road. Mr. Belcher referred to the fact that many North Auckland people whom he had driven over the tar-seal-cd roads, had expressed their delight, at the same time saying very uncomplimentary things of tlie apologies for roads which were found in many parts of their own district. The method followed in laying down the roads was also favourably commented upon. There was as little handling of crushed stone as possible. After the metal was crushed it was deposited in large bins, from which it was readily tipped on to motor lorries—the council had e-hnost dispensed with horse-drawn vein, clcs. The tar was heated to a temperature of 1-80 degrees and conveyed on levies to the spreading point. At the depot there was a large tank, which conItained 48,000 gallons of tar. The tar ’ spreader received the liquid by force of i gravitation, and it was forced on to the | metal surfadte by means of compression. All the workmen employed, sa. : d Mr. Belcher, were conveyed to their work on motor lorries each day, and back to the depot again at “knocking off time.” In conjunction with the excellent roads the council had a fine system of bridges, there being only one wooden structure in the whole country and this was shortly to be replaced. In everything the council aimed at permanency. MODERN TRAFFIC REGULATIONS. Our by-laws are said to bo the most up-to-date and complete .in the world/.’ | continued Mr. Belcher. “They were specially drafted, and govern in all not Konly the Eltham County, but eight coHjnties of the province. This is appreciated by motorists, who are enabled to pask ou from county to county knowing thaV they arc subject to the same regulations. There i# no speed limit, •

but in parts, where circumstances are thought to warrant it, notices are posted warning drivers to restrict their speed to 10 or 15 miles per hour, as the case may be.” Touching briefly on the matter of finance, Mr. Belcher said it was, of course, impossible to carry out a programme of tar-sealing roads on the ordinary revenue from rates. It could only be done by means of a loan. A total sum of £lOO,OOO had been procured in several loans, and in the course of another 14 years this would be liquidated. The great point which he desired to make clear was that the cost of maintaining the tar-sealed roads, plus interest on the loan, had been less than half the cost of maintaining a macadam road. When the necessity of paying interest had been removed, the ratepayers of the county would have a system of first-class roads which would cost so little to maintain that the rates could be struck at a much lower percentage than would be possible with roads other than tar-sealed.