NEW CITY ENGINEER.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18347, 2 April 1925, Page 11

NEW CITY ENGINEER.

MR GALBRAITH ARRIVES.

The Dew City Engineer, Mr A. E. Galbraith, arrived at Christchurch yesterday to take up his duties in succession to Mr C. E. A. Dawc. Mr Galbraith •was met on arrival at the Christchurch railway station by the chairman of the Works Committee (Cr. W. H. Winsor), the Tojtvn Clerk (Mr J. S, Neville), and the' retiring City Surveyor (Mr C. E. A. Dawc). Later, Mr Galbraith called on the Mayor and the Town Clerk at the Council offices, and in the afternoon he attended a email gathering of "welcome in the Council Chamber. The proceedings were private and informal, and the opportunity was. taken of introducing Mr Galbraith to his professional brethren in Christchurch and to the members of the Council. Those present at the gathering were:—Tho Mayor (Mr J.A. Fleshcr), the Mayoress, Mr and Mrs A. E. Galbraith, Mrs Roberts'(England), sister of-Mr Galbraith, the Town Clerk and Mrs J. S. Neville, Crs. C. P. Agar, J. Anderson, O. W. B. Anderson, E. H. Andrews, J. K. Archer, A. W. Beaven, C. Ij. Carr, F. E. Cooke, E. J. Howard, E. E. McCombs, A. Williams, and W. H. Winsor, Messrs A Dudley Dobson and C. E. A. Dawe (former City Engineers), J. Cullens (Christchurch Drainage Board), E. P. Turner (Tramway Board), F. Langbein (Public Works Department), Professor PowcH . (Canterbury College), E. Hitchcock (General Manager, Electricity Department), J. C. Forsyth (City Electrical Engineer), A. J. McCredia (.Railway Engineer), D. E. Parton (Assistant Telegraph Engineer), F. W. Freeman (secretary, Society of Engineers). Afternoon tea was servedby the Mayoress. Mr C. J. E. Williams, Engineer to the Lyttelton Harbour Board, was unable to be present as he was engaged at a Board meeting at Lyttelton.

Mr Galbraith Interviewed. "Good roads are essential to the development of any community," said Mr Galbraith to a representative of "The Press" yesterday, "and without them you can do nothing." The advantages of good roads, he . continued, were obvious; not only did they facilitate transport problems, but they greatly increased the value of a district, in some cases by as much as 30 per cent. The day of the ordinary macadam road was past, also thai of the tarred road, and such was becoming more noticeable every day. This stato of affairs had been brought about by the great development in motor traffic. Take, for instance, a motor-lorry weighing about six tons. When on the road the "tear" of such a vehicle would be about nine tons. As a lorry could work up to a speed of .about twenty miles an hour on the flat it was imperative that pneumatic tyres be used if the life of the Toad was to be taken into consideration. In every district there were main arterial roads, which were used to carry the bulk of the traffic. Then there were subsidiary roads, wihich could carry the lighter traffic. The whole question required constant study. Speaking of concrete roads with wood block surfaces, Mr Galbraith spoke eulogistieally of what had been done in Perth, West Australia, where wood blocks had been laid on a foundation of seven inches of concrete with successful results, but, he added, conditions were different in New Zealand. It had always to be remembered that it was not the first cost of a road that was of the greatest importance; it was the subsequent cost of maintenance which mattered most. I "In Australia," said Mr Galbraith, "splendid results achieved by the Good Eoads Association in preparing the ground work in educating the public on the question of good and I have lectured under their auspices on several occasions." The _ work of making good roads, he continued, v. as becoming more and more an exact science, and it was necessary that standardisation tests should be carried out from time to time. In this respccc llr Galbraith mentioned that stone obtained from the same locality often varied in the capacity to bear weights, although it might be thought there would be no fluctuation in this respect. Speaking of the establishment of the Highways Board, Mr Galbraith said that this constituted a move which was I bound to bring about a great improvcI ment in the roads of the Dominion. He | had visited Auckland in 1929 and made | a n inspection of the construction in that I <s*2 o£ ewxereta raada» and ius ojumtuj

was'that'they were excellent. On his way to Christchurch from West A us-: tra'lia, however,' the only New Zealand city he had been able to look round was Wellington,-and while there ho had been ablo to inspect the construction of the new road to Lower Hutt, which had impressed him favourably. With regard to Christchurch Mr Galbraith had no opinion 'to offer as lie tad arrived here only a few hours before.