STREET PAVING

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 118, 12 February 1926, Page 9

STREET PAVING

CRITICISM REPLIED TO FAULTS AT THORNDON EXPLAINED NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN. “We have been attacked in the newspapers,” said Councillor H. H. Huggins, at last night’s meeting of the City Council, “on the faults in our .roads. As a council we are not in possession of the facts. Wo want to know what is the cause of the trouble.’’ "In Wellington,” replied the Mayor' (Mr, C. J. B. Norwood), “we are 1 pioneers in this particular kind of' work. A very small percentage indeed of the work done has given tron- ’ ble. Among some of the reasons for the trouble is the want of fineness in the sand used. The highest state of efficiency has been attained with the staif. The difficulty arises with the formula. We are short of certain materials in the quarries. Where faults have developed careful examination and analysis have been made. We cannot do more. When we look round at the enormous area we must congratulate ourselves at the mechanical effici- , ency that has been reached. It is not surprising with the deficiency in the formula certain mistakes should be made. The fault in Thorndon Quay is due to the want of fineness in the sand.

Councillor J. Aston said the explanation which had been given was not .quite satisfactory to him. If the cost.of repairs was to go on increasing, who was going to foot the bill? The Mayor said that while the necessary repairs would cost a little extra, it would be cheaper than keeping a busy thoroughfare closed to traffic. Councillor Semple asked if the faults were due to tlie want of the fineness of the sand. He understood that the trouble at Thorndon was due to the fact that the formula used on the Hutt Road had not been observed at Thorndon.

The Mayor said the trouble at Thorndon was entirely due to the composition of the top layer on the road.

A Costly Experiment. Councillor W. H. Bennett said that the water-worn sand used on the road at Thorndon had failed wherever used. Councillor G. A. Troup said that the trouble had been caused by them taking a sharp sand and grinding it to a bluntness which would not bind bitumen. It had been a mistake to attempt an experiment of such magnitude. It appeared that they had been in too great a hurry to rush on with the work. Efficiency and not speed should be the policy of the council. It! would pay them to tear up all their , roads if the foundations were not sound. Thorndon was not the only place where they had had failures. Had they any guarantee that these failures would not crop up again ? Councillor M F. Luckie said the foundations of the roads were as sound ’ as could be wished everywhere, and. councillors were ill-advised io make alarmist statements. A large number ot anonymous attacks had been made on the City and Suburban Highways Board, and it was time that a reply was made to these attacks. Defence of Department. Councillor I-I. D. Bennett said that if councillors really meant what they, said they should move to dismjfs the whole of the officers responsible for the road work. It was a pleasant revelation to find that they had done so much work at so little cost They had brought over an expert from America to give them a lead with the paving of the Hutt Road, and no one could deny that that work had not been a complete success. They never heard now of attacks on the Hutt Road,, but attention had been diverted to failures elsewhere. They had started off with a work costing 1300,000, and it was not surprising that a few faults would arise in such delicate work. No repairs had been required in many of the streets which had been successfully paved. 4To date they had expended £150,000 on paving work, and had laid down 25 miles of a width of 24ft. They had paved 330,000 square yards, and out of this huge total only the Thorndon portion of 1300 square yards had proved faulty, costing £370. If that section of the Press which was continually attacking the paving work would only say what they wanted, the attacks could be replied to. The foundation at Thorndon was as good as that of the Hutt Road. The whole of the top side of the lefthand side of Thorndon Road had been an experiment, and faults could be expected. Reference had been made to differences with the Main Highways Board. They had fallen out with Hie Highways Board not on account of the quality of their mix, but on account of the composition of the preparation. The Main Highways Board had told them that unless they maintained their o4vn specifications, the Main Highways Board could not be expected to pity their subsidy. A conference had been arranged, ami everything had been satisfactorily adjusted. The City and Suburban Highways Board had agreed that they would only use the mix laid down in their own specifications. That mix was superior to any being laid down •n any part of the Dominion. They could rest assured that everything was satisfactory. He wondered how their engineer could stand up to the criticism which was being levelled at the work not only from outside, but from their own councillors. There was really no necessity for such criticism. The report was adopted. .