ARTERIES OF COMMERCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3775, 20 July 1926, Page 9

ARTERIES OF COMMERCE.

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS. For the purpose of comparing Now Zealand’s road conditions with those in Australia, the character of the metal used for building roads, and so on. Mr W. E. Leask (engineer of the road construction department, Vacuum Oil Company) is paying a special visit to the Dominion. Having travelled over most of the roads in both the North and South Islands, Mr Leask is now in Dunedin, and is making a study of the roads in this district. Interviewed by a Daily Times reporter on July 14 Mr Leask gave some interesting impressions of and information concerning the various types of roads he had seen in the Commonwealth and in New Zealand. With the advent of the fast, heavy vehiclar traffio as existing to-day in comparison with the slow horse traffio of 10 or 15 years ago, the question that is exercising the minds of all engineers who have to build roads to carry that traffio is what class of road is correct—whether it can carry the traffic satisfactorily with a minimum of upkeep over a period, say of 10 or 15 years or even longer. “The class of traffic has to be in a measure largely guessed at by the engineer.” said Mr Leask “when he is deciding what kind of road to build—concrete or bituminous concrete, more generally known in New Zealand as hot mix. In California, where the great majority of roads aro built to carry as higl\ as 20 tong loads, the asphaltic concrete type has been generally adopted, and the roads of California are famed throughout the world. In Australia about 20 per cent of the roads are ordinary cement concrete. Reinforced concrete roads have been built also, with bituminous concrete covering. They seem to be standing very well without showing many signs of waving.” In making and building a road Mr Leash said that one of the principal things to be taken into consideration was the cost of the plant necessary for its construction and maintenance. A great number of water-bound macadam roads were in a very good state of repair, and had many years of life before them. They were kept in good repair by surfacing with nsphaltum. “The Country Roads Board of Victoria adopts this principle,” said Mr Leask, “as being the cheapest method for keeping the thousands of miles of road under its charge. Mr Fleming, the * director and engineer of Roads and Bridges Department in South Australia has a programme for next season of 65 miles of asphaltic concrete (hot mix) roads, for which he will have seven complete plants. Tlie Commonwealth Government has given to the various States £20,000,000 to be divided equally in proportion to the population of each State for tlie making and maintenance of main arterial roads: this sum to be divided over a period of five years. The money is to be expended by the recognised roads board of each State, this having the final approval of tlie Minister of Works and Railways.” He went on to say that the great majority of the roads in New Zealand compered very favourably with those in Australia. although large sums of money must be spent in the near future for the upkeep and construction of main roads in particular. It was recognised by all that the development of the country, the accessibility to its beauty spots must be through its roads, and it was more by its roads than anything else that the tourist would advertise the country.

“A good rood,” Mr Leash added, "minimises the upkeep of motor cars, nnd the car-owner ought to be prepared to pay more money to have it kept in repair. It means a longer life to his car and no broken springs. Again, if good roads are made through the country so that motor transport services can be inaugurated, the farmer, who is really the producer, would be able to place his goods at a depot conveniently situated near the farm, so that the motor service could pick it up and consign it at the station to its destination. The farmer will then have more time on his farm for production instead of wasting (wo or three days on the road. This, of course, means greater wealth to the country. The same argument can be applied to streets in suburbs. If they are kept In good order and repair the population will naturally follow. That’s only common sense, is it not?”