ROAD BUILDING.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 221, 17 September 1919, Page 5

ROAD BUILDING.

NEW CONDITIONS AND NEW SCIENCE. government scheme urged. Problems of road construction were discussed very briefly in a talk to members of 'Parliament on Friday afternoon by Mr. Leonard Sandston, M.A., B.Sc, in the Government FiJm Censor's room. Among those present were Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. ,T. B. Hine. Mr. «sandston said he did not come forward as the advocate of any material, or any system of road-making. There was no "beet road." In determining the class of construction, and the materials to be used, tliero must always be considered the traffic the road was to be required to carry, the lmterials readily avail-able, and the ccet of theee and other materials. He was at some pains to show that concrete wae not tiic perfect material it was popularly supposed to be for the making of a permanent road. In brief his reasons were that concrete was subject to deterioration from a number of agencies not yet wholly understood. It expanded by heat, by absorption of moistures, and by age, and the fact that these agencies did not all operate on the whole volume of the concrete body evenly led to the destruction of the material by internal So in course of time the surface cracked and broke away, and in a remarkably short time after wear commenced the whole road might be worthless. And it wad incapable of repair. But on the other hand concrete was an excellent foundation, which could be made to last for all time if covered with some waterproofing material. Then lie went on to tell something of the fine roads made in America with the u*e of a cat-net J of asphalt, made from the natural, asphalt of Trinidad or Bermmlez. or the product of the distillation of petroleum. This method covered the roud with a perfect waterproof carpet, very dura We. and not subject to wear by weather. It was not his advice that this carpet could bo laid only on a foundation of concrete. It mip-ht be laid quite safely on a macadam road, provided the surface and foundations of the road were sound and free from spoiiny places. It was by this method that he hoped much might be ifone in tliLs country.

What he urged was that the Oovernment should establish a central bureau or department for education, research, and experiment, and skilled supervision. Education would be; by the dbeenrnation of information by lecturers or otherwise in order that the people micrht he shown that it would be <rood policy for them to submit to taxation if in reti.'rn they were to have imnroved road service. For tile use of professional road erijr : iieers the bureau should have a library of all literature on the modern science of road building. The Department would have a laboratory for the analysis and toting of materials, and for trials of d : fferent construction under different cnncliHon-? of traflic, climate, and so on. Supervision by the Government would be desirable in order that the Government nvcht see that the money voted by Parliament was being wisely used'by the local authorities. It should not be supposed that his idea was that the State should abrogate any of the powers of the local authorities, but rather that it should help them in the exercise of thoee powers. A g-ood •organisation could never be obtained unless the Government took action, and it was with the object of having something done in the matter by the Government that he wae specially concerned. IBv |" c Government alone could a policy or a scheme of road construction be devieed and carried through.