MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18186, 24 September 1924, Page 11

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

LOCAL BODIES CONFER. A conference cf local bodies north of Christcburch was held iu tho Kaiapoi Borough Council Chambers, with Mi' R. Mcintosh i Mayor of Kaiapoi) in the chair. Representatives were present trom Waimairi. Eyre, and Rangiora County Councils, and the Rangiora Borough Council. -Mr Mcintosh, in welcoming the "legates, said the. conference was called to discuss the matter of improving tho Maiu North road. He called on Mr Iltvell, tho chairman of the Works Committee of tho Kaiapci Borough Council, who had made 3

:-pccial trip to Wellington to get up-to-date information on the subject, to address the meeting. Mr Revell said he hoped to have a lull discussion and get some scheme in hand that would ouablo them to make a real start at improving the main arterial road by some up-to-date method. Tho day of watcrbouud macadam was over and it had been found too costly to continue attempting to keep the reads in Kaiapoi in order by that method to cope with tho northern motor traffic. He had suggested the conference so that some form of united action might We established to cope with the trouble. Kaupoi alone was unable to finance the purchase of the machinery necessary for the .formation of a satisfactory road, but by united action they might get a plant that would put tli© roads in order right up to tho Waipara. Now that the new Motor Tax Bill was going to extract fees from motoriets, they would demand good roads, and the local bodies must rise to the occasion and provide them. After going thoroughly into the matter with the Wellington city engineers, ho advocated a bitumen formation. Water macadam had proved unsuitable, tarred macadam and bituminous * spraying had both had their day, and now were eiiccecded by the hot-mis bitumen system. Bitumen could bo obtained either in the natural state from tho island of Trinidad or by a process during tho refinement of'benzine at. the oil works. The supply of the former was very considerable, and as tho demand for pcfrol increased so would the supply of artificially prepared bitumen increase; therefore, local bodies need fear no shod age for many years to come. " ' I

Referring to tho lasting quality of bituminous roads prepared ou the hotmix principle, Mr Revel] instanced roads put down in Sheffield in 1.917 Kith a two-inch coating of clinker asphalt that carried an extremely heavy traffic and abnormally heavy loads, and were quite good still, showing no signs of the end of their life. The constituents of a good average road were 5G per cent, of broker? metal, 36 per rent, of sand, ana S per cent, of bitumen. If a, two-inch coat of this was laid on tho present solid gravel roads, a road lasting without repair for some ten years was assured, and by dressings every five or so years with a coat, of bilumcu their life was extended almost indefinitely. Tho Hutt road leading out of Wellington was formed of a throe-inch bottom block baso, with a 3-i inch aggregate, then surfaced with, a ■ twoinch running surface of smaller material. The cost was Ss 6d per square vnrd with metal at 13s per yard. Ho had been given estimates with local gravel and a two-inch running surfaco of' about £2OOO a. mile for an 18-foot road, os against a concrete road of £SOOO a mile. Both the Wellington and the Auckland City Council "had sent their engineers to Europe to gather information, and were now definitely in favour of bituminous in preference to concrete roads. Mr Revell gave an account of the method, in vogue in Wellington with a. plant costing in all some £6OOO, which, if spread among several local bodies, was not a, very serious item, but prohibitive in tho case of one small body.. As the plant included steam rollers and rock-breakarf, portion.of the. plant would bo of uso in outlying parte of tho district when the bituminous roads were completed. He advocated a thorough investigation of the matter, as the.better tho first format tiou tho lesser tho future repair bill. Mr F. Horrell (Rangiora. County Council) said, as the main roads were now undor tho control of the Main Highways Board, local bodies could not do what they wished, but must act under regulations. The borough engineer was now in England getting the most up-to-date information, and after his report they should confer again. As the Board was to pay half the cost, they would probably .decide upon the. class of roact. As the money would havo to bo borrowed, little could be done till tho Government's proposals regarding borrowing were known. Ho thought 3 , commission should be set up to allocate the cost, as tho main road from Woc-drnd to Christchuroh was used more by the travelling public than by. the ratepayers. He thought the matter prematuro until further information was available from the Highways Board. Mr Evans (Eyre), Mr Machattie (Heathcote'), a nd Mj- .Baynon (Eyre) agreed generally with Mr Horrell, "but thought a committee "might gather useful information.

Mr Mcintosh (Rangiora. Borough Council) said that his Council waff not in favour of joining. At present, though, by their own experiments, they felt sure that a bituminous road was the only solution of the problem. Mr Revel], in reply, 6aid he was sorry to find the meeting was inclined to adopt a. "taihoa." policy. That method <s.ot them nowhere, and might cause them to bo left behind by the northern counties. The car owners in "Wellington- paid 30s towards the financing of tho Hutt road, and now that the car owners throughout tho country would) havo to pay 40s annually thev must ba given' good roads. It was finally decided to adjourn the meeting for" a month to get. fullerrepresentation, including Oxford, Ashiev. and Kowai counties..

On the- motion of Mr Horrcll, a rate of thanks was given to Mr Rcvell for his interesting address and the trouble ho had taker, collecting information.