MACHINERY USED ON ROADS

Southland Times, Issue 23675, 25 November 1938, Page 4

MACHINERY USED ON ROADS

Prime Minister Is Impressed SIMILAR METHOD OF CLEARING LAND “GREAT POSSIBILITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT” (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 24. Modern road-making machinery in use on the construction of the new highway through the Ngahauranga Gorge was inspected today by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) and several ministerial colleagues. This work, which involves the realignment and widening of the existing road, is expected to be completed in about nine months. The excavation and removal of the spoil will take.from another six to seven months and sealing the surface ready for use approximately another two months. “It was a revelation to me,” said Mr Savage, discussing the machinery he had seen at work in the gorge. “It was the first time I had seen this modern machinery at work and. the methods I knew would not approach anywhere near those 1 saw, in use on the Ngahauranga Gorge road. There were machines operated by one man which did more in a few minutes than that man could do on his own in the greater part of his lifetime. I have heard criticism of the expenditure on public works, but anyone can see values being created all around them by the use of this modern equipment.” Mr Savage said he wanted to see the use of similar machinety for the development of land for settlement, Modem machinery could be utilized to stump, drain, plough and till land ready for cultivation in one-tenth of the time taken under the old obsolete methods. JHe understood there were agents arranging for exhibitions of up-to-date machinery capable of preparing country for agricultural purposes. “There are great possibilities for the development of land for settlement by the use of modern mechanical equipment,” said Mr Savage. “The Government hopes to make use of these methods. Today a man goes to the State Advances Corporation and gets an advance to enable him to develop a farm for himself, but by the use of obsolete methods it takes him the remainder of his days to get a return. I think we can do better than that and give that settler a chance of some immediate return. By the use of machinery we can clear land at one-fifth of the cost, both for those who already occupy land, as well as for the farmers of the future.” In addition to Mr Savage the ministerial party included the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple), the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb), the Attorney-General (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) and the leader of the Legislative Council (the Hon. M. Fagan).