Poverty Bay herald. PUBLISHED EVERT EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY. JULY 8. 1914. THE METAL PROBLEM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13427, 8 July 1914, Page 2

Poverty Bay herald. PUBLISHED EVERT EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY. JULY 8. 1914. THE METAL PROBLEM.

The announcement which his Worship' the Mayor had to make to the Borougb Council last evening that so far as couiu oe ascertained the Gentle Annie supply of metal lias completely petered out cannot fail to occasion disappointment and concern. Undoubtedly tne municipalityis face to face with a very stiff problem as to how its roads sliall be constructed and maintained. Gisborne, whatever its natural advantages may be, has not been favored with the ' good fortune of contiguous metal supplies, and , the absence of durable stone has involved a tremendous drain upon the resources of the community. It is deplorable f o think that so many, thousands of pounds have been spent year after year during the past quarter of a.century,, and that we should still have road surfaces ; which with the slightest fall of rain immediately become converted .into mud. There is no use, however, m bemoaning the disappointments, of tho past; what councillors and all interested ratepayers require to do' is to look resolutely to the -future. In our judgment the Council has taken a wise step iv deciding to advertise m other parts of the Dominion for offers to place at Gisborne adequate supplies of suitable . road metal. Already one such offer is before the Council, the proposal being to supply Coro; mandel granite. As the result of the inquiry which is to be made, the Council should" be m possession of a fund, of information which will be available for the new Borough Engineer when that officer is appointed, and the Council will require to give him ample opportunity to look round the district and to make comparison . between the material and facilities available locally and tliat which may be received by importation from outside. Regarding lodal supplies, interest mainly centres on the Motuhora deposits,. in. the Motu district, a trial of which, however, cannot be made until the coming, summer. The Public Works quarry at Matawai was suggested last evenirigj but from what we can learn the metal there is scarcely suitable for road purposes. We are inclined to think that arrangements could made with the Public Works Department for supplies of stone from its new quarry just about to be opened m the Patufcani Valley. The deposits are extensive, the metal is equivalent to what is "known as Patutahi stone, which served this district fairly well for many years, and with the plant tliat the Department is putting m and the railway siding, it Should bo possible \o secure sufficient for tlie' present requirements of the town at a moderate cosj;. Then, as the Gisborne-Sonthward line advances the solid limestone m the Whakapunake range may 'be made available.. Previously the suggestion has been made that it might be feasible to obtain supplies of tliis quality of metal, which is undoubtedly very hard, from the Wae-renga-o-kuri " Gorge and convey it by cart to a tip near Gentle Annie, whence it could be sent by shoots to the railhead of the municipal tramline. This also is a suggestion that the Borough Engineer, when appointed, should be asked to look into. Finally there is Waihircre. We are not so sure that the limestone of Waihirere or tho Ormond Valley, soft though it be, would not form an excellent base for our roads if put down m pitchers and surfaced with some harder material or waterproofed. Instances can be quoted of roads m this district laid down by Colonel Winter when County Engineer which have stood the stress of traffio for thirty years with very little repair, and Waihirere metal was all that was then available. Tlie railway station yard at Puha also furnishes another illustration of the ability of this metal when properly laid to stand a considerable wear of traffic. The wholo subject is one, however, which requires the most careful consideration on the part of an experienced expert, and if the Council is fortunate, as we trust it may be, m tho selection of its Engineer, a way may he found out of the difficulties oE the situation which will commend itself to the ratepayers and bring satisfactory and substantial results.