PAVING SCHEMES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 99, 7 February 1936, Page 6

PAVING SCHEMES

WORK IN ASHBURTON COUNTY. COUNCIL EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT. SURFACES NOT SATISFACTORY. Disappointment with the results of its paving schemes on the main road in Ashburton County was expressed by members of the County Council this morning, when it was suggested that a protest should be made to the Main Highways Board. In regard to the paving of the Main South Road, between Tinwald and Hinds, Mr Gallagher expressed disappointment at the work that had been done. The work was no credit to the County and was causing a great deal of adverse criticism, directed mainly at the Council, which was not responsible. He considered it was a very rough job, indeed. It was time the Council took a very strong stand in demanding that future work of this kind should be of better standard than that mentioned and that between Rakaia and Dromore. The Main Highways Board should ho told of the Council’s feelings about it. Mr Carr supported the protest and said that when one left the road at Rakaia, one felt that the road from there on was unfinished. Tlie engineer said the road north of Rakaia had been put down by machinery and the other had been done by hand. While something could be done with it, it would never be a perfect road. Mr Bland said the payed Ashburton roads were harder on cars than any he had travelled on. Cars vibrated violently. all the time. The road surfaces would probably be long-wearing, but the surface was rough. Mr Moore said that if the southern job was a finished article, there was something very wrong, especially after the years of experience that had gone by. A protest against payment for the road should be made to the Highways Board. It was not as good a road as a gravel road. Mr Houston disagreed with some ot the criticism, but thought that something should be done about the surfacing of the southern portion of the road. He considered the AsliburtonRakaia road was a good one, and a vast improvement on the previous class of road. He admitted that the Alford Forest Road job was too bumpy and that the footpath was smoother. No one could expect the roads to be as smooth as a billiard table on the first coat or two. Mr Campion said there were so many samples, or types, of roading, t a travellers could not think it was a mam road, under the control of a Governor Crothers said the fault might lie with the Council for haying decided that it could not afford the more expensive type of road. The chairman thought the opposite was the case. , It was decided to inspect the load surfaces when the meeting adjourned at midday. ~ , , Mr Frampton said that despite wli.t had been said, the new roads were a vast improvement, though the surfaces were a bit rough. ~ . The Council inspected the Man South Road as far as Winslow tins afternoon and compared it with th paving in Moore Street, m the Boi“"Mr Gallagher said ib. TO™** Board should be asked to state if the road was up to the specifications of the contract. He moved to this effect and the motion was carried unanimously.