IN AUSTRALIA.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19666, 9 July 1929, Page 4

IN AUSTRALIA.

REMAKING THE ROADS.

A CHBISTCHURCH MAN'S IMPRESSIONS.

•'Queensland is going to be the best State of the whole lot: it is a magnificent country." Mr A. Donald Paterson, of Christchurch who has returned from a visit to Australia, expressed the above opinion in the course of a chat with a representative of The Press. Mr Paterson 's visit to the Commonwealth was in connexion with the developments in road construction, but he found time to take notice of things political. "In Queensland,'" Mr Paterson said, "there is. political!}-, a very optimistic feeling. It is consequent on the change ■ of Government. It is 20 years since I was there previously, and I realised that ■the country had not gone ahead as it should have: but now there is a feeling that the country will go forward. "In Xew South Wales a very general opinion is held that Mr Bavin, for health reasons, will not resume the Premiership. There is depression in New South Wales, and a feeling that they have over-spent. They are cautious and they feel that they are in for a very grave lime. There is enforced economy everywhere —even the amusement-cater-ers are feeling it in Sydney. Like other countries, they have a lot of money in the banks —but no confidenee. Just before I left the feeling was prevalent that the abolition of the industrial arbitration system by the Federal Government would extend to the States, and ultimately would bring the Commonwealth's secondary industries to the forefront, and that Labour would have its wings clipped severely." Road Reconstruction. Speaking generally of roading, Mr Paterson 6aid that it is now realised that roading is a scientific matter and that only the best brains are wanted. Consequently men possessing the necessary qualifications were being employed . at _ big-Salaries. Mr Paterson interviewed the Sydney City Commissioners, and it seemed to him that they had a very progressive policy, but they were uncertain as to their tenure of office. Their time is up ' shortly, and it is not at all certain that they will go back. .There is a growing feeling that there should, be a i return to the form of municipal government that existed before the Commissioners were appointed, the idea being that it is a serious reflection on the ability of the people of Sydney, that, because in the past a few of the municipal administrators were corrupt, there are no citizens to whom the government of the City could be entrusted. Main Roads in N.S.W. The chief object of Mr Paterson's visit was to investigate roading schemes and to see the various classes of-roads and the methods of reconstruction adopted. As to the New South Wales main roads, Mr Paterson said that it seemed to him that a very expensive method of reconstruction had been adopted, with the view of reducing maintenance right away. This had caused much dissatisfaction owing to the slowness and expense of the process. For instance, on the main road from Newcastle to Sydney fourteen miles have cost £420,000. The motorists' association has raised strong objection to such heavy expenditure. In Newcastle they were using, for road reconi struction, slag which is a by-product of the Broken Hill Proprietary, and bei tween 200 and 300 tons of hot mix slag Lis being put on the roads daily. r . In Victoria and South Australia, In Victoria the Main Roads Board had adopted a method of quick construction. A. basis was formed which could be added to as the increased traffic justified. The method was rapid and economical in the matter of capital outlay. As to cost, the basis was between £3OOO and £4OOO per mile. In South Australia, especially around Adelaide, bituminous concrete had been adopted almost entirely, and their roads are somewhat similar to those of Wellington, and they claimed that their expenditure on maintenance was decreasing.

The Queensland Way. In Queensland the main roads were under a Commissioner directly responsible to Parliament. Consequent on poor supplies of metal, much attention had been paid to providing good foundations for existing roads. It was interesting to note that they were chiefly building developmental roads leading to the main arterial roads. As a result, hundreds of square miles of land were coming into profit, and railways were considered things of the past, and reading, not only in Queensland, but also in the other States is considered far mora important than, any other branch of engineering. More attention was being paid to roads than to railways. . General Impressions. There was no doubt that in New Zealand we were in advance of Australia in respect of the natural foundations of our roads and natural metal supplies. Modern road reconstruction in New Zealand was done much more cheaply than in Australia. Materials and labour were much the same in both countries, but in New Zealand the work was being done'from 15 per cent, to 20 per cent. cheaper.; All roads works in respect of which federal grants were made had to be let by tender.