PROBLEM OF GOOD ROADS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18444, 4 January 1922, Page 7

PROBLEM OF GOOD ROADS

■ ' <».C}V.> 'WI. U.S.A.' SPENDING MUJIIONS. , ■ -I* '■ .According to Mr George O. Warren and ’■ Mr E. Parker, both of Boston, who passed through Auckland on tho Malcura, concrete lias not yet absolutely been proved as'tho best material for road-making (says the '■ Auckland Star). The company with wliiclv “ these Bostonians axe connected put down the famous Columbia highway, 216 miles . long, running from Astoria through ■ tht*' £■ city of Portland, Oregon, and tho Columbia River Gorge, one of the most; beautiful '' scenic spots in the States. This-‘fin* 1 ':;" thoroughfare is laid in a patent asphalt,-.it In the early days of permanent roads lev\ ~ to fourteen feet was the maximum on't ha trunk linos, but with the growth ■of auto- . mobile traffic this was found to be quite- ■ inadequate, and now tho minimum road ;a- ■’ sixteen feet wide, but in some of tho busier routes twenty and twenty-five feef -toads ,t will be found. These thoroughfares are what wo in New Zealand would call “country roads” (except ns to tho surface, of course). With such 'excellent i roads ‘as America :s getting, ,the use of tho motor . • • truck is extending, and whole fleets can, Jjo seen hauling merchandise from town/ town. It has been found that fewcrlmnd-/?:'' lings and rapid despatch are points which, ,'t'. weigh in favour of the motor, os against tho, railway in what is known as “short haul . traffic.” On long distance traffic the railway is still unassailable, but the motor has' - a distinct 'niche in the matter of transport;: '- and where you have good roads’ the irjclnr , comes into its own. Contrasting 'asphalt 1 ' and concrete road construction, Mr' Warreq- ■ mentioned that a big point in favour of thd first mentioned was the fact that there was ■no need to tear up an existing road, as a permanent coating of asphalt could bo put V down on anv surface of an. old road. 1 Ho)/ mentioned that since the war there 1 hadI'* 1 '* .-] been a tremendous increase in the of permanent roads Isfid down in tKe Stated’. 1 * and hundreds of millions of dollars ’ being spent. The people were fully] sensed'' - of the importance of good roads' :‘to development of the country. Mr Warren, who is accompanied by his family, intends coming back to New Zealand from Sydney, and will spend some time in tho dominioiu : An unusual incident was associated' jWjtfij,. ) tho running of the Auckland Trotting Cup ' at Alexandra Park, Auckland. OqeioE.thdv;-',] limit horses, Comedy Chief, to havo-beeiihlv driven by the owner, Mr R. A. M‘Millah;‘-. ■'/ lost his rider just as tho race vstfcri cd through the sulky of another competitor colliding with that of Comedy Chief. Not/ 1 withstanding the loss of his pilot, , Comedy" Chief wont to the front, and trotted out the race just as though he was • .being." driven. Every time a competing horse.,:/) would range alongside Comedy Chief, the' latter would extend himself and draw-away without the semblance of a break,, and ■ hd ' he was the only horse in the event 'to “with"-' stand the great finishing run of -the back-' 1 mark horse, Man o’ War, actually passing" tho post about a length in front of]; -rKo,**, latter* ■ , ' ' . “ Newcomen, the Dartmouth blacksmith ,w!ho / developed, the cylinder-and-pisi on steam cngine, has had a memorial erected, to hie memory in the town of his birth. , His- first engine woe sot up neat Dudley Castle in] 1712, and he knew no rival until Wa'-t appeared, ' • ■' .. •• -■ •" ■ .