THE ASPHALT ROLLER.

Southland Times, Issue 19435, 26 December 1924, Page 4

THE ASPHALT ROLLER.

When the Town Council adjourned for its vacation it did so unfortunately with a discussion that displayed rather less of that reasonableness than people expect to find in the doings of the borough’s managers. Cognisant of the fact that at least one firm which tendered for the supply of the asphalt roller was dissatisfied with the position in connection, with the matter, the Councillors took no steps to protect the Town Engineer in what may develop into an extremely delicate situation. As we understand the position the Council called for a steam roller, which among other things had to maintain a speed of four miles an hour for twenty minutes on a level macadam road, while using lignite as its fuel. The Council accepted a roller which cost more than the lowest tender, as it was undoubtedly entitled to do, and to the Town Engineer was given the task of testing the machine supplied to see that it fulfilled the conditions laid down in the specifications. In one test, we understand, the roller failed to satisfy these conditions, but a further trial was made and the Town Engineer on Tuesday last reported on the results of this second trial, which was the official test. None of the Councillors was present at this trial, although, from the Eengineer’s report, it seems that the conditions were varied in important details. The engine was stoked - with a mixture of coke and lignite instead of lignite alone, and the trial was carried out in Yarrow street, which by no stretch of the imagination can be called level. Yarrow street was selected, we are told, because of the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently long level stretch of macadam road. To the lay mind other streets—Kelvin road, or the lower part of Clyde street, for instance—might have offered ground more nearly approximating the conditions set out in the specifications, but the Town Engineer in his report explains that the test in Yarrow street involved more than one reverse in steaming which counter-balanced any advantage gained by the engine in using coke and lignite instead of lignite alone. Mr Fox assured the Council that he was satisfied with the test and the Council has accepted the statement by its Engineer that the test demonstrated that the roller on trial could fulfil the conditions laid down in the specifications; but as the exact terms had been varied the Councillors would have been well advised, in view of the objections raised by one of the tenderers, to have attended the trial in person, so that their endorsement of the Engineer’s finding would have carried the full weight of their personal knowledge of the circumstances. The desire for a public test in the circumstances might have received more attention at the hands of the Councillors, and particularly so if more is to be heard of the matter. The Council has expressed its full confidence in its Engineer, but it should also give him all the effective support that lies in its power. Mr Fox, we think, will be the man most annoyed at the Council’s disinclination to make a public test under the conditions of the specifications to confirm his own report.