SOLTAR FOR ROADS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144197, 13 September 1913, Page 2

SOLTAR FOR ROADS.

Mr. C. Skitrop, New Plymouth Borough Engineer, -writes to the Hawera Sfcaf as follows: “In the Star of September 4 appears a letter over the name of Mr. Hughes, in reference to tarvia and soltar for roads. He says the soltar on the edges of Currie Street is breaking away; this is true, but had Mr. Hughes met me, as ho promised to do, I would have explained tho reason for this breaking. Currie Street bad been treated with ordinary tar twelve months before the soltar was applied. Along the middle portion-of the street the tar had peeled off and disappeared, but on- the side there was a strip of tar left which was not taken off, and the soltar' was painted on the top of this, and if Mr. Hughes had examined the surface he would have seen that the soltar was sticking to the ordinary tar and that it was the ordinary tar which had left the metal. In the summer months soltar does soften, but does not lift; this softening is one of its best features as it enables us to put on another coat of screenings, thus' thickening the wearing surface. If soltar is put on a clean surface it will net lift or peel off. On the question of heavy traffic on county roads, I can only say that since Currie Street; was treated 14,000 tons of heavy traffic have passed over it without doing any injury, andI am quite sure that had tarvia been used in place of soltar (and at the same cost per chain) it would-have disappeared by now.”