ROAD PLANT.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 91, 4 June 1912, Page 5

ROAD PLANT.

The question of procuring a roadmaking plant which has been before ! the Clutha County Council for some '' time, was again brought up at Friday's meeting in the following way. The committee (Chairman, Messrs Begg, Mitchell and Quin) appointed to deal with tenders, etc., for road plant met on '.May 10, and recommended council to hold matter over till itwas seen whether the Local Govern- '■ ment Bill will lie brought into force or not. Discussing the question, Mr Quin said the Local Government Bill w a s killed, that was a moral, and thev should come to some finality regarding the road plant which had been before the council for 19 months. Mr Clarke ,said they had no recommendation from the committee which was appointed to enquire as to the suitability of the plant. Was the scarifier suitable ? He was told it was not. He did not know that the Local Government Bill was dead. Mr Smith : It will be'much modified anyway. Mr Clarke :It may come up in a worse form. i Mr Quin did not suppose they would purchase a plant without making full enquiries. Whether they went in for a scarifier or not, they should get the crusher, engine and trucks. Mr Nicol considered they required more information as to the benefit, it was likelv to be. Mr Smith agreed with Mr Quin. An engine, crusher and trucks were very much needed They would save the cost in metalling in a very plnr k , imc. Mr Quin was "ioiitf.it u> le ivc out the scarifier and get the rest. Last vinr a report "is Ini I -in th in l ie that the plant was necessary. There should be some finality on the matter. Mr Clarke considered the committee should make fuller enquiries, and that the council .should have more information. Mr Mitchell : M'e went into the matter, and considered the council should get an engine, crusher and trucks, thev need not get a scarifier. They all 'thought that other plant was necessary, and he thought roller for newly laid metal ■ r.ecessary also. ' Mr Edwards : We (the committee) did not make full enquiries as to the efficiency of the plant. Mr Clarke wa,s opposed to getting the plant meantime. If they wanted fifty or a hundred yards of metal here, and the same at some other part of the countv or riding it would toAe more to shift the plant than it would be worth, besides loss of time. Mr Nicol did not agree with this. They 'were paying too much for their metal, and in a few years the plant would pay for itself. They could not get labour, and if they had this plant they would be independent. Mr Clarke : We will require more laMr Edwards took Mr Clarke's view. Many of the quarries were unsuitable for the plant, which would net be much use to his riding. Mr "Nicol: Tf we got the plant, we would have stated quarries where it would crush, and the metal could be (aken in the trucks, or railed to where it was wanted Messrs Edwards and Clarke thought this would be very expensive, and Mr Clarke thought that those ridings that wanted the plant should pay for Mr Nicol said they could surely supply the metal cheaper _ than it could be got from Logan's Point. Mr Clarke said the last,crusher they got was a white elephant. Mr Quin said the matter had been under consideration for a long time, and they should arrive at some decis- ' 'ion. He did not. say at this meeting, but they should get more information if they'waited it, and settle it one - way or the other. His opinion was it was time they had an \ip-to-4atc road plant, and' that it would pay them to do so. i This threshed the question out for • the time being, and the matter was [ held over till next meeting, committee to make, fuller enquiries and report then.