A COMPARISON IN ROADS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3624, 10 September 1912, Page 6

A COMPARISON IN ROADS.

(to the editor.) sir,—l confess that in the past I ! ave taken little interest, if any. ui '.iJinicipai matters. But since I be- ■ ante a. ratepayer of this “expert” 'exploited borough I have been forced t ■ bestow a- little time on matters of this kind. The most serious thoughts that come to me are when I want to cross & road on the AYhataupoko district. How can I negotiate this supposed crossing F or how many miles round will I have to walk in order tv dodge it without getting hogged F Vhe.-.o kind of thoughts lead me bacs. t-> the t-nwn of Thames, where, -» take bold to state, they can show Ifew Zealand how to make roads, footi y«.tk'. and water-tables. A'ou can dk there on an asphalt path from north to south in a straight line for 4i miles. Every hack or side footpath is asphalted, a corresponding ’water-table of concrete, with the addition of a storm water drain beneath i b in the main streets. A large u.mount, of money has been expended '»P‘>r. these roads, and they are now >-'-‘aping the benefit of it. The crown of the”road is 3ft lOin to the original ibed. and probably there is 3ft. ol large boulders beside the broken metal. From the Thames to Coromandel .dn>ui. 33 miles along the sea front, there are millions of tons of the finest metal in the world, chiefly andisite •U'i diorite. I only remember onc-e wooing a hole in the Thames road, and that- was caused by a small water- ■ oerse. Tlio upkeep of these roads is ■itnosf. nil. In conversation with a i: to no breaker a few <lays ago, he told me lie had to wait a long time for his mercy, as the Council did not want tic- metal, so he had to wait till they did. How would that suit Gisborne? S'he heavier the rain there the clean- ' r the streets. How does this compare with cur town F I want to say non. tkai there is no metal in this district. and no “expert” can put it here except, on paper. And they will do that for a. fee. The rubbish that is called metal here has been properly described by Mr C. E. Ftiric a few days ago as sandstone, ami poor at that. I got a : ample of Thames metal the other day ,'•)!• the purpose of comparison with ci! t own metal, but left it behind by en a; blent. It- seems to me that the Gisborne Councillors as soon as they ~t,> .-P-ct-ed to that position, become .tnfWtod w"th the “’expert” microbe, ;imi though a medical man lias been in ■. <Mi.it.-int attendance on them he has faded to stay the progress of that deii-diy disease, and so lie has given it ■op as a had iob and resigned his position on the Council. Before closing I would like to offer a few suggestions •for five Council to consider. The first iiiat s shall offer is that they cease importing outside experts and consider Hie advisability of sending our Mayor, Engineer, and one Councilor to Thames; that they attend one '•'Vvj.neil meeting, where they will ■Earn a little in harmony, and also Hl,scorer that there the expert mi- ■ ■.wd>e is conspicuous by its absence. I ’robably the presence of Cr. Dr. Lapraik has something to do with that.. Next thing they could spend a day very' profitably with Mr Chapman, the Town Clerk, from whom. I am tiure, they would get a large amount of information. After that a drive over the good metal roads through the town with the ever courteous and obliging Mayor, Air H. Lowe. To finish up with . a very valuable stock of facts and figures from Air Thos. Jackc.on, the foreman of works, a man who knows his business, and who i.s not an expert, but a -practical man who, to ray knowledge, has had the responsibility ,-rf these roads and also the respect of councillors past and present

for 25 years or more, without the aid of either engineers or experts. Air Jackson would probably _ give them a shock if asked for an estimate of the cost of this work per chain, but why not inquire into the matter? A quarry could he got on the coast under tiio Alining Act, a scow could be loaded there, brought here and discharged on the beach, the metal broken to the 21-in-, gage here, and the Gentle Annie stuff could bo used tor a- foundation, for that is all it is fit for. It would make a body quite suitable for that purpose. The Council lias tried experiments before, why not try another and lay a chain or so in Gladstone Road with the metal I have, referred t-oF

Lest readers may think I am tile only one praising Thames roads let me quote what Air G. L. Luttrell, of Canterbury, says on Thames streets on August 27. He says: .“ J like Thames very much. It’s a nice, clean place. Your roads and footpaths ana. credit to the town.” Having said this much I shall leave it for some one else to improve upon.—l am, etc.. “ANTI-EXPERT.”