ROADS IN NEW ZEALAND

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 112, 14 May 1927, Page 13

ROADS IN NEW ZEALAND

CREDIT TO ENGINEERS

Addressing tho conference at tlio Mount Cook Hormitage held with regard to co-ordination of effort -to secure good tourist roads, Mr. A. W. Tyndall (engineer to the "Highways Board) referred to what" he claimed were two national assets —the -tourist industry, and Mr. B. L. Wigley. Ho explained that' tho Main Highways Board was out to helj every local body in an equitaK.oway; ana at ;v meeting to be held in- Christehurch on 18th May its financial position and future policy would bo. thoroughly explained. He had just been over tl o roadj in Levels and Mackonzie countries, and found that they "were in excellent order, and ho congratulated those' two councils aud thoir respective .engineers. There was nothing which haoc'ould suggest by way, of improvement-for gravel roads such as those in . tho two »■ counties which he-had-named. - ;

' With regard to bitumen and tar-soal-cd roads, .Mr. Tyndall said there were plenty of- poor roads in the Unitod States, as well as some good oiios. New Zealand stood alono in the*.world in tho matter, of road construction and maintenance.: Every ratepayer in New Zealand was roßrjojisible for the maintenance of \ twelve ■ times as great a length of -road as-, each ratepayer in England. Sjxty pefr cent, of the roads m New Zealand w,ere hard-surfaced, as compared ,with ;4fieen per cent, of theroads in the'i.TJnltea, States.., The road ;c'bnstruction engineers of this country ;had.-.dQn'e wonderful work, and wore to ■be'--c6iigratulated on what they had accomplished. Maintenance in this country in 1925 cost .£'sl 7s per milo; the. next yea.v it was-,£73: the following-year,Sloo; and for: the coming year 'it>. was anticipated that it would Cost £120 pet niilo. There wero 28,000 miles of good' travelling roads' in 1 New Zealand, out of a'"' total of 48,000 miles, compared with 500,000 miles of hard-surfaced roads in tho United States, out of a total:,of 3,000,----000 miles. An excellent surface could be maintained on gravel roads which Carried up t0.■.■500 vehicles pqr day, so that tar-sealing.'was not a necessity on such roads. . "..