GRAVEL ROADS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18970, 7 April 1927, Page 8

GRAVEL ROADS.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT. MR FURKEBT IMPRESSED. [THE TBESS Special Bertie*. | WELLINGTON, April 0. "There is nothing that the Dominion needs that cannot be bought as well and as cheaply in England, as in the United States." The above remarks were made by Mr F. W. Furkcrt, Engineer-! » liief and Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department, to-day. "Concrete is recognised as the best foundation for roads in the United States, but it is only put down where the traffic is heavy enough to justify the exponso which is, of course, heavy. Nothing struck me so much in roading I there as the tremendous extent of gravel roads such as we have here, completely frco of dust as the result of sprayii ; with calcium chloride. On such sprayed roads I travelled at times 50 miles an hour, and an average of 40 miles an hour for nearly two days, absolutely without dust. The reason is that calcium chlorido attracts tho moisture from the air, and the road is always damp. There is no such thing as a permanent road under modern traffic. It was frankly admitted that all concrete roads laid down for more than ten years were done, and needod replacing. The finance of roads does not seem to trouble them in tho United States. Old methods allowed for a cost of from £4OOO to £6OOO a mile—to-day the estimates for the best roads are based on £17,000 a mile. "Detroit is the heme of the ideal roads. It seems as though the conjunction of motor factories there, and the good roads, had mutually stimulated the expansion of both these utilities. Hydro-Electricity. '•'As the result of my visit, to America, I havo no reason to fear that we have made any mistakes of any magnitude in New Zealand in our hydro-electric installations," said Mr Furkert, "One thing that would not bo tolerated here is the immense expense wasted on outside show in connexion with hydro-electric installations there. Marble vestibules, tesselated floors, mahogany furniture, bronze doors, and all manner of useless ornamental fittings characterise the plainest of industrial plants."