METAL ALL THE WAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1924, Page 6

METAL ALL THE WAY.

WELLINGTON TO WORK ON MAIN NORTH ROADi COMPLETION DURING SUMMER. TARRING MOUNT MESSENGER. That the highway between Welling* ton and Auckland via Taranaki will be completely metalled this summer is the ■ expectation of Mr. T; M. Ball, district iengineer of the Public Works Department, Stratford. I The two unmetalled gaps on the tTaranaki stretch are the portions between Awakino and Mokau, and beI tween tlie Mokau ferry and Tongajpoiutu. On these stretches the work of metalling is being pushed ahead I rapidly under the direction of the Public Works Department. Eleven miles • remained umnetdlled when the ivTFfrk j was commenced. To-day this length I has been reduced to 72 miles, and is • daily growing less. Mr. Ball stated to a Daily News reporter that his schedule for the' ferry .to Tongaporutu stretch, based on an 180 yards a day delivery, was being j maintained in a wonderful manner. He ; paid a tribute to the work of the engineers and the men; to whom the scledule had becojne almost a fetish. He reaffirmed his opinion that the Main i North Road would be metalled right [ through by the end of May, and front [ advice he had received as to the progress of work in the Auckland province he expected the metalled highway to be J completed from Wellington to Auckland jthis summer.

i It is suggested that some suitable function should be. arranged to wm- ’ mcmorate the tipping of the last load 'o’ metal, and possibly the" Taranaki j Chamber, of Commerce will take the I matter up, for the event will be an I important one in the history of roadmaking. . All along the gaps, settlers. .measure the week’s metalling programme. They comment upon ttjir 'schedule and urge on the workers. Interjected onlookers may accept the. fact • that if the road is completed before the end of May the credit will be due to ' the men, who are fired by a spirit of enthusiasm and are determined to cut I several weeks off their popular chief’s. ; closely worked out programme. If a. • function is arranged, it is hoped the* ; men will not be forgotten, and that. i their labours will be recognised in the i time honoured custom. j Preparations for tarring Mount Mee ’senger arc well advanced. The scarifier i arrived last Thursday and the bitumen? : is ordered for delivery before Christmas, lorries being engaged at Waitara. for this purpose. From the Uruti quarry supplies of chips have been dumped alt along the south slope. The tar tanks* at the summit have been erected, an<J Everything is in readiness. The tarsealing of Mt. Messenger will .lie thefirst occasion in Taranaki upon which* the Public Works Department has had* an opportunity of demonstrating itsability to lay dotvn tar. So much has-, been said and written of the excellence of tarred coufity* roads in [that the Public Works Department is on its mettle to ; show tourists what can be done when occasion demands.