NEW STREETS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 199, 23 July 1926, Page 7

NEW STREETS.

CONDITION WHEN COUNCIL TAKES OVER. VIEWS OF CR EDWARDS. A deal lias been heard at recent meetings of the Borough Council from Cr Edwards concerning the degree of completeness of new streets in the borough before they are accepted for dedication and taken over by the council. With a view to further illustrating his contentions in this respect Cr Edwards this morning motored a “Standard” reporter to several quarters of the town where streets recently taken over by the council were inspected. Put briefly, Cr Edwards holds the view that streets on freshly sub-divid-ed blocks of land, and which have been constructed by tho sub-dividing owners, should not be taken over by the council for at least a year after formation. That, he contends, allows of time for a proper settlement of the surface of the roadways and footpaths and lessens greatly the degree of expense to the ratepayers which very often results through maintenance of an “unsettled” street which is lacking in body. Further, he claims that some of the streets recently accepted for dedication are a very long way from being fit for normal traffic. A new street in the eastern suburbs was first visited. Cr Edwards pointed out that although it had now become the charge of the council the footpath on either side consisted on the “metalled” half—the other half is sown lawn—of a scanty scattering of light shingle metal through which the grass grows freely. It has, in fact, more the appearance of a gravelly lawn than of a well-founded footway. The roadway, ho pointed out, was no better, for although it was metalled to the usual depth there were many depressions and ruts upwards of a foot deep. It was explained to the reporter that such a road was bound to sink in places for several months, causing grave defects in formation, and that when tho council “took over” a road in such condition it meant that within a short time the ratepayers would have to bear the burden of putting the highway to rights. This, together with tho expense of dealing with new footpaths similarly, meant that thousands of pounds were spent unnecessarily. In another quarter of the town some streets only just accepted for dedication were also inspected. What should have been the “lawn” half of the footpaths was, Cr. Edwards pointed out, simply a bog in many places, while the rest was a Jength of rough uneven formation, whicli it was obvious would take a lot of money to mnke it anything like a 6treet should be. In places the surface of the footpath was spongy and gavo under tho feet when tested. “Those are the sort of footways that the council is taking over,” Cr. Edwards pointed out. He explained that he blamed no one in particular—neither the contractors, tho subdividing owners, nor the council—it was the whole system that he deemed at fault, and he merely desired to demonstrate the reasonableness of his contention that new streets and footways should not be taken over until they were in proper condition.

Attention was drawn to other features such as the new rule that all pipe connections in new streets bo laid up to the kerbing of each section in a new road to prevent it being badly cut up afterwards. That, he explained, would apply, to new streets in tho future, but not to those just completed. “I want to show you just how thousands of pounds of the ratepayers’ money may be saved,” lie stated, adding that lie purposed' pursuing the matter further in the council.