AUCKLAND'S ROADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16310, 17 August 1916, Page 9

AUCKLAND'S ROADS.

FURTHER CRITICISMS.

CARRIERS HANDICAPPED.

INVIDIOUS COMPARISONS

The suggestion that municipal funds, admittedly restricted owing to war-time conditions, should preferentially be expended on a "good roads" policy, has met with support in many directions. Further views were yesterday obtained from citizens interested and concerned in the question.

j The president of the Master Carriers' j Association, Mr. C. H. Fleming. Auckland manager of the ,New Zealand Ex- ! press Company, stated that he was quite I in accord with the arguments which had I been advanced in favour of the establishment of good roads in and about the | city. "It is an undoubted fact," lie said, "that the roads of Auckland—the most populous city of the Dominion— very unfavourably with those of the other centres, and even with those of a great many of the smaller towns. This results in a huge economic waste, of which the general public is, probably, only vaguely aware. It is a matter of continual surprise to Southern people who do business in Auckland that cartage rates in this city are so much higher than in other towns. The reason lies in the heavier costs of administering this class of business, not the least among the reasons for which is the deplorable state of the roads, necessitating increased haulage power and an abnormally high penalty in depreciation of horses and plant. Hindrance to Motors in Commerce. "Another aspect of the matter, and one which has an important bearing on the future development of the city," Mr. Fleming continued, "is the influence of the roads on the establishment of motor traction. Auckland, with its large population and extended area, might be expected to offer an exceptionally favourable field for the development of this class of transport. In other centres it has rapidly established itself, and has succeeded, without difficulty, in competing with horse traction. Experience has shown, however, that the high cost of depreciation, upkeep, and! tyres, caused by the rough state of the roads in Auckland, has nullified the obvious advantages of motor traction to such an extent that—except in a few instances, where speed is a desideratum, regardless of cost —very few efforts to inaugurate the use of commercial motor vehicles have advanced beyond the experimental stage- Most users have, in short, elected to revert to the horse-drawn vehicles.' Lamentable Condition of Roads. " T feel that I am voicing the opinions of the members of the Master Carriers' Association.' said Mr. Fleming, "in offering their hearty support to any movement having for its object the amelioration of the present lamentable condition of our roads. lam neither qualified nor inclined to enter into any controversy regarding questions of general municipal policy, and I fully recognise that the City Council is committed to certain comprehensive srhemes which cannot readily bo abandoned. At the same time, I certainly consider that before indulging in any further ' castles in Spain," the community js entitled to demand that its arteries and veins be put in proper workin order. Otherwise we risk comparison with the heroine of literature who was much addicted to ostrich feathers in her coitTure. but habitually down-at-heels as regarded her pedal extremities.'*

Bad Roads an Expensive Luxury. '• The roads of Auckland are the worst in New Zealand ; there is no doubt about that." said Dr. H. Dundas Mackenzie, when seen on the subject. Dr. Mackenzie formerly resided in tho Manawatu district, where, as a member of various local bodies, he had a good deal to do with road-making propositions- The topic is one, therefore, in which he is well versed.

j "Apart from the small area of improved streets in the city," he proceeded, "the roads are bad. Now, bad roads are the I most expensive luxury a community can j indulge in. The reasons are many. Bad ■ roads increase the cost of transport | enormously, and that, in turn, leases 1 costs to the consumers who, of course, i include the workers. Everybody has to . pay when the roads are bad. It is better 1 to pay higher rates and have good roads, i rather than to pay small rates and have , bad roads. Another point is that bad | roads decrease the power of communicaI tion, and decreased commerce results. 1 Importance of Inter - Communication. ! "In every way bad roads are a drag | on the advancement of the. Auckland Pro- ■ vince. There is practically no road comi munication between here and Hamilton. ; Rotortia suffers for that, as hundreds of i people who would motor through to i Rotonia, and spend a few pounds there, jdo not do so because of the 15 miles i stretch of bad roadway between hero and i Hamilton- It is tha same in the North. " The essence of modern life is intercommunication,"' said Dr. Mackenzie, " and, when that is retarded, progress I and industry are retarded. Without good | roads there can be no good inter-communi-I cation. Nowadays, the principal means ,of inter-communication is the motor-car, i yet, in Auckland we have roads within , the city limits which are not only unfit | for motor traffic, but are also unfit for a bullock-waggon. "It is disgraceful that the City Council should go on squandering money on trivialities when the roads are in such a condition. Taße the municipal fish market, for instance. Fish has become cheaper through competition, and there is no need for a municipal fish market." Road Maintenance Methods Wrong. Dr. Mackenzie said he found fault with the methods of road maintenance in Auckland. Men should be employed on sections of roads, with supplies of metal to each section, so that they could watch for ■ places needing repairs and effect the rej pairs at once. This was done in CanterI bury and Otago, in the Manawatu and j the Wairarapa, indeed almost everywhere i but in Auckland. He knew of roads in , Otago which had been laid down 30 years | ago, and which were as good as ever today. An illustration of a neglected Auckland road, on which a lot of money had been spent, was Park Road, the state of which was due to want of proper maintenance.

Rubber Tyres Do Little Damage. Having had 14 years' experience of motoring Dr. Mackenzie was asked if there was, in his opinion, anything in the. argument that rubber-tyred motor traffic injured the roads. He replied that such traffic, under a speed of 20 miles an hour, did no damage to the roads ; on the contrary he thought it did good in rolling the surface. On the other hand, heavy cars travelling at a rate of ove» 20 miles an hour did injure the road-bed. Weight for weight, however, ..and speed for speed, rubber-tyred ■ traffic did infinitely less damage to roads than iron-tyred traffic. In confirmation of that opinion Dr. Mackenzie ffuoted the case of the Mangere Road beyond the bridge. Ever since the road in question was laid, he said, there had been motor traffic over it, in spite of which it remained good As soon as the carting of materials for the bridge becan, however, the road was cut to pieces. This showed that ordinary pleasure cars did not do the damage.'