Artificial Road Metal.

Opunake Times, Volume VII, Issue 327, 26 October 1897, Page 4

Artificial Road Metal.

Mr A. C. Turner, Government Eoad Surveyor, Wellington survey district, in his annual report describes an experiment in the production of artificial road metal as follows“ Owing to the absence of road metal on the Alfredton-Weber Road, it was decided to ascertain if papa rock, after being subjected to a great heat in a kiln, would not serve as a substitute, and accordingly a kiln was built, the capacity of which was 150 cubic yards. After a burn, the metal was placed on the road last April, and has had a very severe twelve months' test, owing the bullock dray traffic which has passed over it. So far good results have been obtained, the metal having stood the wear remarkably well. A larger kiln was excavated out of the side of a hill, of a capacity of 400 cubic yards. When everything was ready and the kiln about to bo fired, the exceptionally heavy rainfall experienced at the time caused immense slips of liquid mud and timber debris to descend and completely fill the kiln on two separate occasions, causing considerable expense. After surmounting these difficulties the kiln was charged wfith blue papa, and a successful burn was obtained. This material has been used in metalling the roadway in the immediate vicinity 12ft wide and lOin deep, the total length laid now being 25 chains at a cost of about £2 10s per chain, not including the expense of evacuation of the kiln, and this will be put to a fair test, which will, I trust, prove satisfactory. The cost of the burnt material at the mouth of the pit will not exceed 2s 61 per cubic yard. Everything taken into consideration the experiment may be looked upon as a success, and should be the means of saving great expense in the future, metal being so scarce on the line of road that the benefit to those using the road will be incalculable. Should the metal which has just been laid prove satisfactory, I would recommend that kilns be erected at intervals along the line of road, -where gravel cannot be procured, for the purpose of manufacturing the material.”