LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18533, 18 October 1923, Page 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

EEMCEBA. BPOSTB^GEOTJND. Shy-I wonder why .your correspondent ■\ of 60 years* residence in Auckland who knew Mr. DilWca th .wears a mask. But &w? matter, the follows -«P : tha claims of the hockey-payers to the ; :use of this F° anlos^i\ST^ t iv°the th* war will not he hy the tasty red herring £o persistently drawn icrws" the trail. Yet Why this false scent? Is?t that "Hands ■(&" &»*» himself no i better able than the^rm-a*i to answer tho questions asked in reply to Ins letier. Disgtused, he nca.l have no fears of Committing anyone to. anything and it JSS ■really interesting to have the Sew* of Mr old acquaintance Ton tiat subdivision*! < plan. He may e?en come to the conclusion that his pseu- ' SynTS addressed to th* wrong party. '"."••■ E. .J. Phelak. . Green Lane, October 16, 3-925.

ROAD MAKING, Sir—Mr. Schmidt must h»4« read my letter' hurriedly. I never stated or expected the building of 23 miles of roads For £30,000, but I did say .tho ManuKau Santy Council specifications *nd estimates made by their engineer paid! so, and Mr. Schmidt advised the Mount Eden Borough Council to collar their .road maker! engineer and chairman, which advice I told them not to accept. On September. 13, 1921, a ... aeputation of Manger© ratepayers wavceo upon the Manukau County Council askint the council to suspend work on the now roads. Tho chairman (Mr. A, D. Bell), in ; reply, said. 'The. work would be put through on the money set opart for tho purpose (£oO,OOO. for Z8& miles of tar-scaled roads) and in this ho was supported by the engineer, who. assured the deputation that he could carry out the whole scheme mile for mil© within his estimates." Result, five mites of assorted roads at a cost of £20,000. lor horse traffic the footpaths and sides of road are being used, as the tar-sealed roads are too dangerous, horses falling practically daily on them. Not being a qualified engineer I cannot give an opinion as to the making of*the roads, but I am accurate in my statement regarding the cost, and still maintain the slantcero roading scheme is no use 1 for any other district to copy J M. Cummixo. Mangowi, October 16 : , 1923.

HEATING OF; BUILDINGS. Sir.— your issue of thi3 morning's Herald, under the heading, "Use of Radiators/' you mention that an architect interested in many of Auckland's large, new blocks states that owners of new buildings are placed in an uncertain position in regard to heating their buildings, and that the Power Board intended to refuse further connections, except where special permits were issued. "In that case," ho said, "there were only two other courses open." The two alternative methods of heating mentioned are both of them as antiquated as "The Man in the Moon," but he docs not mention gas, -which, for heating purposes, is easily in the first rank for efficiency end cheapness. Very few new buildings go up without any gas piping; those that aro not piped during erection, have to bo piped later on at an increased cost, as tenants demand gas to be available, especially for. heating and cooking. Prominent' architects in the Old Country aro strongly advocating gas for heating purposes. Among these are E. J. Sadgrovc, F.R.1.8.A., president, of the Society of Architects from 1916 to 1920, and "Mr. John Murray, F.R.1.8.A., U.S.A., F. 5.1., M.R. San 1.,, etc The use of radiant heat in modern gas fires has increased the demand for these, fires for heating purposes, as it is acknowledged to be the most ■; hygienic and up-to-date .means of heating, and there has been great difti-, culty in supplying sufficient for all needs. The." modern gas fires imported by us have all passed the test set- by the leading British medical authorities, known as the Lancet test.. Quite a number of the leading Auckland architects provide Hues for gas fires when designing new . buildings. MaV I state that in one school alone in Auckland, -we .have installed over 30 £as fires for heating purposes, and they give every satisfaction. At a very low estimate there are quite 4000 gas fires in use in Auckland. E. D. Ashtox, Secretary, Auckland Gas Co., Ltd.

V" -7 - EDENDALE ROAD. ; Sir, —Kindly allow me space to reply to some statement's made at the Mount Albert Ratepayers' Progressive Association meeting held last Saturday night. At that meeting three reports from three engineers were read. One engineer made tiie absurd statement that a bituminous asphalt road would have to be relaid twice in 30 years at a cost of 5s per square yard per time. That is, it would, have to be laid three times at a cost, of 15s : ; per square yard. Let us see how this statement is borne out in actual practice. "The Eltham Borough Council in 1911 laid down their main street in tarred asphalt, and the street is as good to-day as it was when laid down, and will remain good for many years to come. We have several miles of only tar-sealed roads in the Taranaki Province which aro over ten years old, and ■ are now in first-class condition. I am quite sure if wa suggested to the Taranaki .engineers that these required relaying every ten years they would feel sorry lor us. In 1913 I laid down a bituminous'road in New Plymouth. It is now ten years old, and is in a better condition than when laid down. The Ellerslie Town Board, in 1915, laid down part of Panmura Road in bituminous asphalt.' It is now eight years old, and does not look as though it would require relaying in ■ two • years' time. Only 15ft. of the central portion received its sealing coat when the road was laid down, therefore the sides of the road are not a "good example of what a bituminous asphalt road should be. They 'were never finished. There are a few depressions along the middle of the road caused by the subsidence of the sewer drain. I could quote many more- instances of the life of bituminous asphalt roads which go to prove that the durability of this class of road is very much longer than stated. Now, in reference to the maintenance on •concrete and, bituminous roads. In the case of the Edendalo Road, why is it shown as £4000 in :'th«i case of asphalt, and. 2d per square yard in the case of concrete Is it because 2d looks less in the eyes of the ratepayers than £4000 does. ■, Let us also submit : this matter to a practical test. Ido noli know the length or the width that it is! proposed to lay down on the Edendale- Road, but. I will assume it is one naile long by 24ft. wide. , That is 12ft. on either side of the tram track. One mile long by 24ft. .wide: is 14,080. square yards. ';■■ That, at 2d per square yard per annum represents £117 6s 8d per mile per annum for the maintenance on the concrete road. The maintenance on the Panmuna Road, passing through Ellerslie, and laid down in September, 1&15, is approximately £80. The : area maintained is 3900 square yards, thai is less than 5d per square yard spread over a. period of seven and a-haif years, that ; m .66 of a penny per square yard per annum, which means a total "maintenance per mile of 14,080 square yards per annum of £38 Mb sd, which represents a saving. of £78 1& 3d per mile per annum. Ellerslie experience is not an isolated case. v ctona Street, Cambridge, laid in 1916 with b.tiun.noun asphalt, maintenance to date £7, area about 4000 square yards Te Awamutu, aid in iqifi „,„• ,- v «""-'• to date, nil.' Hasth\gs stress l» ? ? n? ° 1915, maintenance to date nil' T /in not wish to suggest to the Mount Albert ratepayers what class of road should' bo laid down in their district. Both classed under discussion, if properly laid win give satisfaction, but when such glrirtr iois-statomonts are made, I feel it mv '"d'uty-to contradict them. J to C. Skitsop, c.E