PRETTY PANMURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1926, Page 8

PRETTY PANMURE.

CONCRETING MAIN ROADS.

GREAT BOON TO DISTRICT.

Pretty Panmure, hitherto to some, extent inaccessible on account of poor roads, has entered on a new era in its history. The Mount Wellington Town Board has tackled in a bold and workmanlike manner the job of bringing its district up to date for the convenience of modern traffic; Cinderella is puttin" on a new gown, and soon she will find her slipper. Then will come the Prince in the shape of an inpouring populace to give her place and wealth.

Settlement follows the good road. New houses and more people came close on the heels of the workmen who completed with a modern surface the fine thoroughfare through Ellerslie to Lake Road, and, realising that it was theirs to continue the good work, the Mount Wellington Town Board raised a loan and proceeded to lengthen the white arterial ribbon. From Lake Road to the township of Panmure men are now working to level the surface, make grades, and roll a firm bed for the reception of the concrete. In places, bad dips are hem» raised; in others, the surface is bein» lowered; and solid retaining walls are being erected on either side where the road runs above declivities. It is shown at a glance that the work has been well planned and is being well executed. Opening up the Land. One part of the board's roading scheme was happily completed yesterday—the concreting of the Panmure-Otahuhu Road from the Ellerslie-Panmure Road. This covers a distance of 2J miles, through some of the prettiest rustic scenery about Auckland. It will make the journey from Ellerslie to Otahuhu a quick and pleasant one, and it will open for settlement a stretch of land eminently suitable for the establishment of suburban homes. This job cost about fSOOO a mile, or approximately f'22.000. Interest and sinking fund will cost less than the annual cost of maintenance of the old metal road, and there will be established a permanent highway which will be sound and serviceable, costing very little to maintain, when the cost of construction had finally been paid.

The stretch now under construction, from Lake Road to Panmure, measures about lj mile, and, when completed, it should bring large numbers of motorists out to the prettily situated township with its several attractions. It is said to be the aim of the Wellington Town Bbard to secure the sloping green shore of the beautiful lake as a public reserve. It is a worthy object, for there is nowhere a sweeter spot of its kind, nor one that more lends itself to a scheme of beautification. Tn the hands of a competent body, Lake Panmure should become an ideal resort for bathing, boating, and picnicking—a diamond set in a circle of sapphires. Speedy Work. The concreting of the Panmure and Otahuhu roads consists of two strips, each Oft in width, the centre join being sealed with tar. The concrete is 6Jin deep in the centre, running to Sin at the sides, and it is strongly reinforced at all curves, which are banked and widened from 2ft to 3ft moTe than the width on the straight run. The work was planned by Mr. Trevor Dibble, the Mount Wellington Road Board's engineer, and is being carried out under the supervision of his engineer, Mr. A. M. Dibble. Over 60 men are employed on the job, and they are paid a bonus on work accomplished. The average laying was found to he 41 chains a day, but the granting of a bonus at so much per yard over and above this average has produced as much as 6* chains. The result of this has been a great speeding up of the job, and a great increase in the earnings of the workmen, who have drawn as much as 34/ a day— and money well earned, it is said. The job is being carried out by the board with day labour.