STRAIN ON THE ROADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18692, 24 April 1924, Page 8

STRAIN ON THE ROADS.

SPECIAL REPAIR WORK. ENGINEERS TO SUPERVISE. 1 SPECIAL FUNDS ALLOWED. OPERATIONS JN - PROVINCE. POSITION AT RANGIRIRIS.

Prompt steps have been taken by the Public Works Department _to arrange special measures for the maintenance of roads which are bearing a severe strain on account of the exceptionally heavy motor traffic. Special instructions to district engineers have been issued. These are to the effect that the engineers shall get in touch with Chambers of Commerce and discuss road traffic with them and then confer with the local bodies affected and endeavour to get them to bring their maintenance men from side roads on to main routes. Special " flying " gangs are also to bo used in cases where sudden necessity arises. The engineers are to requisition appropriate sums of money for the purpose Immediately on receipt of these instructions from Wellington, the district engineer, Mr. A. J. Baker, communicated with the local bodies concerned and arrangements for special emergency maintenance work were speedily set in tram. The roads north and south of Auckland citv, and those between To Aroha and Paeroa, To Aroha and Hamilton, and in the neighbourhood of Morrinsville are the ones that will receive particular attention. Negotiations are proceeding with county councils to attend to bad portions of road in country districts which must be cleared in order to keep the communications open. A Visit of Inspection. Special care will be taken of the Rangiriri Hills Road and work was commenced yesterday for the improvement of the worst portions of that road. Attention is also to be. given to the sandy stretch of road between Ramyriri and Ohinomuri.

A party consisting of Mr. H. Wynyard, a member of the Main Highways Board, Mr. Baker, District Engineer and Chairman of the No. 2 Highways District, and Mr. W. 4i McFarlane, of' the Public Works Department, visited the roacl last Tuesday and decided tipon the work to be carried out. The unmetalled sections over the hills, like all clay roads, are slippery and difficult to negotiate in wet weather. The first five miles will be abandoned as a main highway when the deviation, now being metalled, is completed. In this section there are about eight bad places but practically all are of only small extent. These are being drained, fascined, and, where material is available, sanded. In the South sections, from the junction of the deviation to Rangiriri there are only a few bad places, caused for the most part by loose formation which has not had time to set. The worst of these is close to the Devil's Elbow, and special attention is being paid to this in the draining and grading. Near Rangiriri there is a metalled deviation toward Te Kauwhata Station cutting out a bad piece of loose new formation, and direction posts have been erected showing this new way.

Large Dumps of Metal. Large dumps of metal are available on the river bank at Meremere for completing the metalling of the deviation as soon as the soft section has consolidated, and, when the weather permits, metalline of the South section will be continued through the winter. An official said yesterday that in the interests of keeping road communication open motorists should not use the road during or immediately after heavy rain, as the damage done by chains to any clay road, under such conditions, soon rendered it impassable. On the other hand, a few hours sun and wind dried the road sufficiently for chains to be used without damage to the surface. If the road was " nursed " in the manner suggested, communication could be easily maintained. Although there was rain on the hills on Tuesday morning, cars and char-a-bancs were negotiating the road without difficulty in the afternoon.

ROADS IN THE WAIKATO.

MAMAK'U HILL PASSABLE. | OTHER ROUTES IN GOOD ORDER. [BY TELEGRAPH. CORRESPONDENT. J HAMILTON. Wednesday. Motorists report that- the roads throughout the Waikato district are in fair order. Some difficulty was experienced at Te Kawa, near Te Awamutu, owing to the muddy state of the roads, but the cars got through with the assistance of chains. , Cars bound to and from R-otorua negotiated the Mamaku Hill (where numerous cars had to be assisted by horse teams during the 1820 strike) without serious trouble. For a wide radius about Hamilton the roads are in good order and motor-cars are successfully handling the business offering.

REPORTS PROM COUNTRY.

TAUMARUNUI'S SUPPLIES. SYSTEM OF RATIONING. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] TAUMARUNUI, Wednesday. There are sufficient supplies of necessities to last a month, but as a precaution it has been decided to ration certain foodstuffs. There, may be a shortage of sugar later on. As Taumarunui is the most isolated section on the Main Trunk line, the Mayor has asked the authorities at Wellington for preference of space on any goods train despatched from main centres. He has also telegraphed to the chairman of the River Trust in regard to arranging for a boat to bring supplies if necessary by the Wanganui River. It is understood that local garage proprietors _ have arranged to keep a permanent service open between Taumarunui and Wanganui provided the roads are in a fit state. CAMBRIDGE, Wednesday, Supplies here _ will last about three weeks. The position is not so satisfactory in out-districts. It is expected that supplies will come to Cambridge from Onehunga by boat and will be sent on from here. Throughout to-day motor traffio has been particularly heavy. M ATA MA A, Wednesday. A regular motor mail service commenced to-day. Heavy rain last night, however, .jjas not improved the roads. The car service to Tauranga stopped on Monday. This avenue from Auckland to the East Coast is thus closed for the time being. * AERO A, Wednesday. Several of the railwaymen are freely expressing dissatisfaction at their en forced idleness. Road traffic has been well organised and services arranged for the carriage of mails and passengers.