CIVIC UNDERTAKINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17381, 30 January 1920, Page 6

CIVIC UNDERTAKINGS.

. PROGRESS IN AMERICA. ' MODERN METHODS. ' " ''" '■ ,: " \ '• '■ ■■ .'"■ CITY VIEWS. . All phases of "municipal enterpriseand undertakings were investigated by Mr. "*V. E. Bush, city engineer,' of Auckland, during his tour.of the .United States, Canada, and Great;: Britain,';! which -he ha* just completed.' Some of the matters which came' ' under'his ; notice .1 in the ? course of iliase investigations, which were made at the iwtaiice of .the : City Council, wen* reviewed b,f. Mr. Bush yesterday, on his return by die Ruapehu. He stated that he inquired into such questions, as road construction, labour-saving machinery, municipal 'organisation - and 'administration, water works,". sewerage,' markets, townplanning, the housing problem, etc. J" Dwusswgiroad construction, Mr. Bush stated.ithat,what -struck him moat in America w>e the remarkable development of the great ; ighways. , Ten' years ago the country wade> &?yiiicting cities were, practically earth. Ttcdtr it was estimated that over ,10,000 :miles-Hi vd been laid in concrete, while another 10,000 miles had • been paved .with asphaltic or bituminous Burtaw, ' Sheet -.acphalt was mostly: wed on the city roads' The increase in. motor-cat traffic * bad . stimulated road, construction] and, enormous sums: were being r expended in palling, both city 'and country streets, There were three " ocean to ocean" highways under construction in the United States; all in concrete, and in some of the States loans of; over £10,000,000 were being raised i for- roadingldeyelopracttt.. The Federal Government had made a grant ol £20,000,000 for 1920, in respect of the roads over: which 'mails were carried. t J : iiltt* England," considering! the deteriorate ing influeßws of the t war,; the-; main "i toads were Iml excellent condition. -1 "J This was exemplified during the great railway strike, when ■ the vsh<>rmous population :of ; the in land towns aid cities depended upon motoi transport ; for their' food supplies, The aountry roade were principally macadam, treated,winsome, form of tar cV bitumino"s surfacing. I; In the British cities, wood mid; asphalt pavements were found vin the shopping streets, while for those carrying the heaviest traffic,?granite Kottea on con, ci-ete foundations, -were considered to jh< only pavements Hit ' would stand th( rvere loaejs t-i»W' carried by; motor lorries, s^am-waggons and tractors. ', :: z ¥.V;. 'There was a remarkably, large number t d steam waggons: in use. in Great ; Britain, In this ; respect ;it wo ahead of America though motorcars 'were not so'numeroui as in the': States,' or in Canada. Concrete foundations principally used in Britain k and America \ for all 1 '"ret-class row pavements. So far as "concrete roads ww concerned the work done in' Auckland in J the last two years was, said Mr. Bush, oi as good a class as that done in America. "> ' ; J Labour -saving Machinery. i The use of labour-saving machinery sit thy United States was ;-:mavkable. Prac lLally no operation i;-W\ collection ". ,witl large engineering works which could be more economically g and f 'efficiently ■"• performed by "machinery than by; hand laboui .was' earned out by the latter method to day. , Machines were ;in ■■ use'for j■ digging trenches/"; for laying sewers and watei mains,' for reßllirg and ramming trenches for excavating, foundations and removing earth in any ( quantity, for mixing. concrete and other materials, and even for drivinj headings , and tunnelling work in mines etc. The finjt coat of rock'machinery wa< often ; very : considerable, but America wai id ? large,, 'and; there was so, much worl always proceeding, that * machines : wcr< easily hired if it was not worth while te purchase them -for a particular piece 0 work. _;'.. ; ;V'H ', ■■ fK'w' ■In regard to the usesrf > labour-Mvin! machinery, Britain was far behind An-virfcii but Mr. Bush said he anticipated that the very large increase in wages now be in; received by ■♦.he British we-v-nnau voule cause ni-x-f attention to be. giveu tis., tjiii important rr'biA&.f; In New Zealand, wild its. raßejb swalltr population, ar.d luxiesraiijj lesser; amount of . w«k haad ? labor* woifJ' have to be used fov «y.iy of 'hero operu tions,vbufc L* was VHjiddenl l that ': in 'fcVi carrying «at , ct',large ; yrbiilatfS'jL* ?*a}.a:i and Australia both ■•. -were " Jiktly ,*» folio* American methods more «juick>y than the older countries. '•'' " ""'.' j /if*.-.-' ; ' Water Supply and Power. *. ; Mr. Bush* said that water supply uedcr takings in America were oil a very large scale. Tho consumption of,, watc*- pel capita there was far larger than in mos< other cour.k'!e& ' As an instance, the cit-j of Los Angeles ha a brought water from the Owens Itiver, 300 to 403 m?la distant iron the city, and not only was the supply usee for ordinary purposes, but also tor irrigat ! ing lanje trade of what was previously \r. <i\ if.* '■ V<t which now for." xi a par 1 '-1 >w. *&$ iV 'J. ! It l .' .T.Ob' **«ftftv»li.' .-,.r\ire about thii , wi■** iki'ij' \-j9-rttt. -,••>. the d'tnOT! ■ ■y-'rii. " "vi. >•« *■?<: ~fier: Soui ; Sl .<>;•" " *ari >.. -st iy l tf 'T,; ■- ~ v . "\? b; 1 j.,uh •• ■ is ;of tba w.t,\,t in tie .:• v ' .>..•<' Ti •>* as'a»,ated tint ul.'.^Cvij 1..A p;ft ii p. tod ■•' w» obt&'&r ; '*- - .' Owens lii'fer and J, « aqueduct Amp-, I was ''v.ch tetter off than Britain .-.,■ ** sourc- f. r *)ydro eleitrj'c ' power: fc Francisco v? ~ now goin H '.. far a ncl) m ,| costing £9,0iX),000, of a si-a-fl* ,i character to that qf Los Ajugelee, althougj' • | the supply tor San' Francisco vie newer t< i the city than was that of the other cd.trc. 1 Mr. Bush was able to visit and iiuiet . all the gtvut, ttservo'rs and dams of w, Lev York witer supply system, thi la»-g»'- of its kind in thi . world. '*■> i'L-,.' '.hat the practice 0 ; meterii.)i. . v * vr«Je*.' 'as far mor» t- m i raonly i(invd;j._ ..<, Jnited Btat/atfi&ii in Brit-vTii cr :-i itevr Zealand, bat, erei with th« motoring the American was mucl ■ more lavish or wasteful in the use of wetei . than the average British citizen. Sewerage and Sanitation. in regard to sewerage works and' sew age disposal, Mr. Bash said he found ir i America that, where a discharge could he obtained into tidal water or into im^, rivers, the discharge «of raw sewage wrii commonly undertaken. Where ' the earn* course was not possible great attentiot was being p'd to. the activated, jludije system of 6cwage treatment. At Mi' waukee he had inspected a station where I most elaborate experiments, extending ovei four years, had been carried out to teal this method before finally adopting /it. Ir other p&rts of the United States and Brr tain works were being carried out on this method. • The activated sludge system could be 1 j generally described, said m, Bush, as the ' purification of the sewage by the introduction >f forced air, which speeded up the '. usual process of bacterial treatment It ii expected to produce by this prscess« sludge*which, by pressing and dryiog. s&r, ■;'[>'■ (snvi»rte/! into a saleable ma/m; , s. ' Tt>; 'ufthcxii hi use f:>r tb'- «ispo«-.! r-j-.-jii?. "•'d'-.-rb :.'! Anicit'-*., irijl yiso ;,-, ' Kn,"ifjv,J iii«y t!:c -K.'?r, W9?a very ...u-rtst- ,■»/ 'aid Vi*. ''"v IV.: .ißvceeiiy for 1 w ~\ij vri«.c |H---d:«.-.? 'i.ti 'c;..ited ;, ,t >■ I new lr6;X-jL. t >.; >w. />iu. :t. In An n ri<a it wjs oenmon ►-. ..id t\*li at the is-,. > \U "fefye wan separaW into tv , r.; sometimes three, &"»••" I • -At '~<"«/ '..•jus * : ■ ;:"i>" i... ...Vj"f..''.i<- '•<■•_ . 1 was Miprii-akt? ... . -.i-t i"i..c.'>... »* ' , I garbage as it ?: \ r. »*jj!j "''"! ij u «.i'e I latter used •;' u of p it. Whew three wi-wumr-- »-srr .ad, v}" I diird coriisted -j) pa/cr, rags, w.i simile ; nutter vt-jich v,ii£ sorted at i. depot at j.w" i'''u;fl <j •eiTHCtor:' w- i, therefore;, i.. j«o nwn. ,, . v t> ii, t!.«- ', . ted ae it Ih-itaiii 5, it- <-n .1 of the latter coiimr> ...'any of tin progressive cit ; es, such as Piiniiugl: r Sheffiold, had installed ]j ants for ittihring waste products', and 1 largely reducing tho quantity, of _ refuse I t'"»t had to he burnt or otherwise, disposed I of. To ''-9 e •'lection of house 'refuse elec- , trie volumes were,being used in Britain : "ill* t-ht. us<i of motor vehicles for muni- ; .pa! pirpofws wis being adopted largely . both sides < f the Atlantic.