BOROUGH FOOTPATHS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10075, 22 June 1910, Page 5

BOROUGH FOOTPATHS.

QUESTION OP TARRING AND SANDING. The Town Clerk and Borough Engineer reported, inter alia, as follows to the Borough Council meeting last evening, in connection with the matter of tar paviag one sido of Worksop Ruad, or, alternatively, Bannister street:—The cost p:r running chain would bs—Tar paving, £5 10s; kerbing, £3; channeling, £3; total, £ll 10*. He was sure the Council would agree with him that to tar pave th 3 footpaths in anything like a perrhanent or workmanlike manner there must be a kerb for the path to butt against, and to preserve the grade of the road channel so as to prevent the unsightly and unhealthy ponding of water, it wag further necessary to channel. The distance from Dixon % street to Columba Road in the case of either street was 39 chains, and to kerb, channel and tar pave one side only of either street £448 10s was required. Put in another form, the total of tar paving, £214 10s; kerbing, £117; channelling, £ll7, The Council in its estimate for the current year provided, the sum of £1,500 for street maintenance, including footpaths, and this amount had to be spread over the maintenance of something like 32 miles of roads and 64 miles of footpaths or tracks. "The amount of £1,500," continued the Engineer, "was arrived at by reducing my inadequate estimate of £1,600 in order to permit of a 2£d rate being struck in of a higher one, which was rea'ly necessary. Out of the amount of £1,500 the sum of £1,300 is applied in labour to maintain the roals and footpaths in their present condition, leaving the balance of £2OO only for material. This sum represents 800 cubic yards of broken metal and chipping, a quantity'quite unequal to the area for roads and footpaths requiring treatment. The weeding of the footpaths, to which attention has been called, is done to meet the constant complaints made about the heavy growth of weeds which made the paths moat inconvenient in wet weather for women and children, and the work absorbs approximately £l2O per annum of the sum already referred to. There is no doubt whatever that tar paving, kerbing and channelling would be more economical, having: regard to its permanency and canvenience, but the Council will see that unless it is prepared to increase its estimates, and necessarily to increase the amount of its general rate, the work of tar paving, channelling and kerbing cannot be effected out of the amount provided. To alopt any other course otherwise than by a special --logn would result in an mcreasa in the Borough's overdraft, a policy which the Council has set its face against during the past two and a. half years " , The ikayor said that the Council should try a system of'grading footpaths and rolling and then tarring and sanding them. Better results would be obtained than is the case at present.

Gr. Ewington supported the Mayor's views. The tarring and sanding done in Bannister street and Dixon street, he said, had stood well. He favoured giving the tarring and sanding a further trialj

Cr. Morris also favoured the tarring and sanding. Cr. Pauling said that when tar and sand was put on at the proper season it would answer satisfactorily. It was no good putting down tar and sand in the winter. In , Ashburton, where he was a Councillor, they had excellent tarred and sanded footpaths put down in the summer. There was a good tarred &nd sanded footpath in Greytown. Cr. Vragnell said that until the footpaths were kerbed, tarring and sanding would be a failure. Or. Hoar objected to patching up wok by the ireihod proposed. Tarring and sanding was absolutely useless in his opinion.

Cr. Rigg also objected to money being spent on tarring and sanding. > Cr. Temple moved that Worksop Road from Dixon street to Columba Road on the north side be tarred ard sanded, a Bum not exceeding £l5O ti be spent. The Mayor seconded the motion. • • After some further discussion this motion was amended to read that £l5O be spsnt on tarring and sanding footpaths iri the Borough, not specifying any particular street. The motion was lest.