MODERN ROADING METHODS

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1931, Page 9

MODERN ROADING METHODS

HIGHWAYS ENGINEER’S VIEWS. INVESTIGATIONS IN AMERICA. Mr.' A. Tyndall, engineer to the Main Highways Board, who went to America to°attend the International Roads Congress at Washington returned to Wellington on Monday by the Monowal from San Franisco. He said that in an endeavour to assist unemployment, which was rife in all the States of America £200,000,000 had been spent in 1029 in the construction and maintenance of highways. During the present there was going to- be a tremendous increase in the expenditure on all road works, and not only was the Federal Government finding greatly increased 'sums of money, but the individual States would assist in the constiTiction and improvement of roads. With the additional money that would be provided for the highways the figure would be several hundred millions of dollars more than the amount spent in 1929.

Shortly before Mr. Tyndall left America thousands of men were put on to widening and forming new deviations on the roads in the western States. The highways in America were built on more elaborate lines than those in New Zealand, but generally speaking the quality and class of work which was done in New Zealand compared very favourably with that in America. “At the present time,’ said Mr. Tyndall, ‘'there seems to be no doubt that road making and similar work is the greatest industry in the United States.” Mr. Tyndall spent about a month in Canada inspecting the roads and the system of working in the various States. After the congress was finished a number of the representatives of the various countries were invited to make a very extensive tour covering several thousands of miles of roads. The tour, which was mots instructive, was organised by a body known as the Highways Education Board and lashed about JL7 days..