HASTENING PREPARATION

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 150, 29 June 1925, Page 4

HASTENING PREPARATION

"Wellington's experience with permanent paving hitherto has been that the -work is. pushed ahead rapidly. and steadilyT^once it is started. The delay lias always been in the start. Funds have not been available, and work which, is strictly not city roadwork has been undertaken so that the plant may not be idle, or the erection of the plant has taken longer than was anticipated or there have been legal proceedings causing further loss of time in the paving; season. Next season is. to mark a great expansion of operations.' Additional plant is to be provided. We hope ifc is not necessary now, to emphasise the importance of making the best use of the winter months in preparing for a flying start when the weather is right. There should be no difficulty concerning funds, but, unless precautions are taken, the whole of ; the new plant may not be ready for operation." Now is the time to take these precautions. -It is the time also to prepare plans for better attention to secondary streets. Main roads lately have pushed the work on side streets into the background, with the result that there has been either total neglect or most extravagant patching. There in a prospect now of Wellington adopting some method less expensive than hot-mix .bitumen and more lasting than macadam for the gide streets. That was the hope held out when the. engineers returned from their Taranaki tour. But if a new method of surfacing the secondary roads cannot be quickly decided upon, the Council at least should repair the macadam thoroughly, not simply,. drop loads of metal .to be scattered by the first car that passes.