TRAMWAYS ANO WOOOBLOCKING,

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 141, 11 December 1902, Page 5

TRAMWAYS ANO WOOOBLOCKING,

COUNCILLOR. SMITH'S OBSERVA* TIONS ABROAD. The Wellington passengers by th© Monowai included Councillor John Smith, who has just completed a nine-months* jaunt through England, Scotland, and Ireland, mostly for pleasure, but at the same time with an eye to concerns likely to be of future use to the city in which he has made his home. In the early part of his stay in England he attended the assembly of the Movable Committee of the Order of Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, which met at Newcastte-on-Tyne, as the representative of the Order in this colony. What happened there has already been chronicled through his letters. Subsequently he saw the crowning of the King — or rather the. processional port of the proceedings — as a spec* tator among the crowd of Briton* and others from' all parts of the worlfi who went to London for the great occasion. In other respects he saw, in the course of his travels, very much the same as the usual traveller who goes abroad for his own amusement and entertainment. He made a trip in one of the new turbine vessels, the sensation of travelling on which he describes as "lovely." They move along with hardly a suspicion of vibration, despite their great speed, but something yet remains to be conquered in regard to control, particularly in going astern, as the boats do not appear to be so easily handled as their sister vessels propelled by the older method. In municipal affairs, in which Mr. Smith was interested as a local Councillor, he saw nothing either in London or the provincial towns which indicated any remarkable advance upon the condition of things which exist in our own community. He found, for instance", that ■most municipalities axe troubled just as badly with the ploughing up of streets. Everywhere he went he saw well-ordered thoroughfares torn up for drainage, lighting, and other requirements, the only explanation afforded being that it could not be avoided ; they could not forsee the future. One thing he particularly noticed, and that was that in London, its suburbs, and other provincial towns, asphalt roadways were being discarded in favour of wood-blocking. He saw acres of asphalting being torn up and woodblocks going down. For^Shis work they were using not hardwood, which it has been popularly supposed is the best for the purpose, but an American red-pine, tougk, bob soft, and first creosoted. Aspna.lt appeals to have been discarded for the reason that it becomes too slippery, and consequently dangerous to traffic. The hardwood is open to tho same objection, but the softer blocks answer the purpose well, and are calculated'to live an ordinary life of seven, to ten years. They are laid very closely, and £iled in, as is done here, with hot tar and sand. After his experiences abroad, fe Mr. Smith thinks that we should certainly go in for wood-blocking for Wellington streets. As to tramways, Mr. Smith saw innumerable systems, but found most people in agreement that the system which it is proposed to adopt in Wellington— -tho overhead trolly system — was the best. la London and suburbs, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and elsewhere this system is being used with the best results and with safety, now that the automatic cut-off system is in vogue. Mr. Smith waited in* England some time for Mr. W. R. Wright, the electrical engineer for the Wellington sy&tem, but finally missed him in consequence of the engineer's departure

from this colony being delayed over the trouble about the Order-in-Council. He, however, came into contact with many of the firms which Mr. Wright will have to consult in regard to contracts connected with the work, and also had an opportunity of visiting and riding over the line at Bootle, outside Liverpool, which our engineer planned and superintended. It is an excellent system, and on all hands he heard nothing but praise of the ability of our engineer. They considered that Wellington might leave its scheme in his hands with the ntmost confidence. Mr. Smith saw most of the harbours round about the coast of Great Britain, and, like others who have gone before him, concludes that the facilities are certainly no better anywhere than our own. He returns home in good health, and will take his seat at the City Council meeting this evening.