HIGHWAY RECONSTRUCTION

Northern Advocate, 11 October 1928, Page 3

HIGHWAY RECONSTRUCTION

MEETING OF RATEPAYERS. PROPOSED LOAN OF £IOOO, A meeting of Kamo ratepayers was held in Wakelin’s Hall, Kamo, on Tuesday evening, convened by the Town Board, the object of which was to explain the board’s policy in respect to the main highway through the Town District, as regards re-con-struction. The chairman, Mr M. Mclnnes, in his address gave a very thorough and concise explanation of the situation, particular points of interest being as follows: MAIN ROAD. The Whangarei County controlled the road for many years. After 1922 as a result of the Main Highways Act, all its expenditure was subject to 100 per cent subsidy from the Government. In the Town Board's opinion, no adequate proportion of the rates levied by the county over the Town District was spent on the road. The town’s,rate for several years was in the pound, which produced, in 192 n, on a valuation of £51,590, the sum of £483, out of which Hospital levy, and main road maintenance had to he provided. In view of this inequality, the Town Board resolved to become an independent body at the first opportunity, when a sufficient population was registered—bearing also in mind the fact that the highways maintenance subsidy was then to bo altered to 150 per cent —considering that a better standard of maintenance at less cost could bo gained. After the independence -was gazetted, the county ceased any maintenance on the road for several months before the date the Town Board took over, viz: April Ist,. 1927, and; the board had to take immediate steps to protect the road surface against the wet weather. INCREASE IN MOTOR TRAFFIC. The increase in the amount of regular heavy motor traffic along the road had been very apparent during the year 192(5-1927, and it soon became evident to the board, that the ordinary macadam surfacing would require ruinously heavy maintenance charges. The possibilities of a permanent surface wore gone into and a traffic tally whs instituted to obtain evidence as to the location of the users of the road. i CONCRETE. The construction of an 18-foot strip in concerto for the whole length of the Town District was put forward as the ideal objective, and the Highways Board was approached with the traffic figures, and the estimated cost of the concrete road. It was asked on what basis it would subsidise this reconstruction: —The reply given stated that the Highways Board recommended to the Town Board the construe-, tion of a penetrated bitumen ' road throughout the Town District 18 feet wide, and that a subsidy of slightly better than £2 for £1 would be recommended on reconstruction of this principle. It was open to the Town Board to reconstruct the better type of road (concrete) but the subsidy wmuld only be given on the basis of bitumen construction. It was realised by the board that the concrete road project was not feasible and must bo abandoned, as the cost of this would mean a rate being collected as well as pledged, from the ratepayers; this was against the objects of the board, which were to save enough money through reduced road maintenance to make the striking of a rate for Loan Interest etc., unnecessary, and yet have the improved road surface. INCREASED SUBSIDY. As the result of further representations to the Main Highways Board, supported by the traffic figures, it ultimately agreed to subsidise the bitumen re-contruction on the basis of £3 to £l, although the maximum laid down by the Highways Act was, in Town Districts, only £2 to £l. BITUMENISED ROAD. The total length of main iNghway in the Town District was 2 miles 30 chains, and as a rough estimate, the Public Works’ engineers considered that £2200 per mile would bo the cost of reconstruction as proposed in penetrated bitumen; the Town Board, basing its calculations on these figures, applied for sanction from the Local Government Loans Board for a £.1(500 loan proposal to he placed before tlic ratepayers. As a matter of fact, the actual engineering survey; calculations give the cost of the 2 miles 30 chains of road as £SBOO approx.

FXECTTION OF THE ROAD WOK K. The boavd has arranged with the Public Works Department that the work be carried under the control of the Main Highway engineers’ supervision; this arrangement has the big advantage from the town board’s point of view, that no consulting engineers fees, etc., is required, and that all the money actually raised and spent rvill go into the road. SPRINGS FLAT SEVERANCE. As most ratepayers are aware, the loan poll for £I6OO was due to be held on October 12, when the decision of a recent Government Commission, that the Springs be severed from the Town District, was gazetted. This altered the position to a very great extent, and as a result the £I6OO loan poll was not held, but an amended proposal for £IOOO will be placed before you for your approval in due course. DETAILS OF £IOOO LOAN. I The purpose of this -meeting is to I give you full particulars of the loan

proposal, and how :t will affect the ratepayer. Since the Springs area will not be severed from the Town District until 31st March, 1929, the loan proposals will be for a special area, which will be identical with the Town District as it will be on April Ist. All ratepayers within that area can exercise their right to decide on this question and a special roll will he prepared, the closing of which will he duly advertised. As a result of the severance there will remain in the Town District slightly over 14 miles of highway. The loan figures will be as follows; Engineering survey: first mile £2400 Second mile. £2500. Half .... £1250

£36so 10 per cent, for contingencies £365 £4015 One quarter of this is approximately £looo—-the amount of the loan, it is desired to raise. The Loans Board insists on the loan being repaid in ten years, which is the conservatively estimated life of the road; engineers consider 15 years a more likely figure in actual practice, depending on the incidence of traffic. The provision of a Sinking Fund of £7 19s per cent, per annum is thus required, which equals £79 10s. The board can secure the money at 5.) per cent, then interest charges will be £57 10s each year. Careful enquiries as to maintenance charges on this class of road, have been made, and an amount of £75 per mile per annum has been held to be ample to provide adequate maintenance over the life of the road. There being 14 miles, this means £ll3 each year. Thus the total charges on the road will be £250 per annum* £6B of which the Main Highways will contribute as its share of maintenance. PART MAINTENANCE COSTS. As a comparison, the proportionate amount spent over this length of road during the year 1927-28 was £486, as. the total expenditure for the 2 miles 30 chains was £7-70. The total amount spent from April Ist this year to September 15th. was £315. On a mileage proportion basis, this one and a half miles of main highway, which it is proposed to reconstruct, cost £l9B for ‘six months to keep the road in a poor state of repair. From these figures, the board estimates that the reconstruction of the road will savcbetween £250 to £3OO per annum after all charges in connection with the loan and the road are paid. EFFECT IF LOAN NOT CARRIED. Although the board expects that the figures set out will be sufficiently convincing* it may be as well to explain the position in the event of the loan not being carried. In this ease the position will be that the Main Highways Board will cither call upon the board to maintain the road to a much higher standard, or will do the work itself, and charge the board with the cost, any subsidy granted being entirely at the discretion of the Highways Board. Any increased standard of maintenance of a macadam road along this length of highway must necessarily mean a heavier load on the ratepayers, which the loan is designed to avoid. In the opinion of the board, there is no question of the loan being anything but a very necessary measure, especially in view of the excellent subsidy which attaches to its object of reconstruction of the main highway. The interest and sinking fund charges will bo paid from general account from the saving on maintenance which will accrue, and the rate which it will bo necessary to pledge to the lender of the £IOOO as security,

i will amount to only 13/.l6ths of a penny in the £, which it is not intended to collect, nor any portion of it. BITUMEN UOADING. This class of road must not be confused with a sealed road. The form* er has been thoroughly tried out by the Highways Board in other parts of New Zealand, and has proved itself. The principle is to bind about 4 ins. of aggregate solidly with bitumen compound, and then blind and seal the surface in addition; whereas a sealed road has only the blinding layer made imperious to water. OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTIONS. The board made endeavours to interest the Whangarei Borough Council in the road, by pointing out the j moral responsibility which the borough had in the matter by virtue lof the large percentage of traffic emanting from the borough, but any ! contribution was declined by that body. Any responsibility from the county was nullified by the fact that this body is not empowered to contribute to roads beyond its boundar-

After questions had been asked, information desired on various matters connected with the rate of interest at which (he proposed loan would be raised, and the class of road which it was proposed to construct, a recommendation from Mr T. Ellis was made, that the board consider the widening of the road on Crane’s Hill, in order that cattle and horse-traffic could be assured of less travelling risk, bearing in mind the smoothness of the proposed road surface, and the steepness of the grade on this portion of the road. The chairman explained that work of this nature would not be subject to subsidy, and must necessarily be defrayed from the general fund of the Town District, if undertaken.

; It was then moved by Mr T. Davidson, seconded by Mr A. .1. Allan that ((lie mooting approves of the policy of (the Town Board, respecting the main .highway, and recommends the support of the ratepayers to the proposied £IOOO loan for the purpose to bo ! submitted, | The meeting then closed.