BITUMEN PATHS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18968, 5 April 1927, Page 8

BITUMEN PATHS.

RICCARTON IMPROVEMENTS. CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION'S DISCUSSION. i "It's a disgrace to the Council that they should waste the ratepayers' money like that, - ' said Mr C. Richardson, when it was stated at last night's meeting of the Ricoarton Citizens' Association that- a tender, £l5O higher than the lowest, had been accepted for laying footpaths in bitumen in the south-west area of the borough. Cr. H. W. Wise, chairman of the Council's Works Committee, said that the contract had been let to British Pavements (Canterbury), Ltd., because the Council knew that once that firm put the work in hand there would be no delays, and that the work would be done before the winter. In addition, the contractors would maintain the footpaths for three years. Cr. R. B. Rankin said that ia the last year or so £SOO had been spent in repairing asphalt footpaths. The I bitumen footpaths would last for eight or ten years without being touched. Mr Richardson said that where bitumen had been used it had not proved a success. In the United States bitumen roads had been taken up. . Mr A. D. Ford said that bitumen had proved.to be far ahead of asphalt. Concrete roads in the United States had been replaced with bitumen ones. Bitumen, was permanent for 40 or 50 years. The chairman (Mr John Wood) said the Tramway Board's experience with spraying the tracks with liquid bitumen was that it was standing very well. The Council might have lost hundreds of pounds if it had let a contract for asphalt. Cr. Wise said that the Council had spent £SOO on channelling in the south-west area, not out of loan, so that the area was not being burdened. Other speakers considered that it was "a godsend" to the south-west area that bitumen had been decided •ipon, and the manner in whfch the portion of the Riccarton road paved with bituminous concrete was carrying the traffic was quoted in support of the use of that method for footpaths. No motion wac submitted, and the discussion dropped.