ENGINEER’S TOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 7 April 1927, Page 5

ENGINEER’S TOUR.

MR FURKETT'S IMPRESSIONS. By Telegraph—Press Association, WELLINGTON, April 6. Mr Furkert, .Engineer in Chief and Under-Secretary of Public Works, has returned to Wellington after nearly a year visiting Canada, the United States, England and Scotland, where ho noted advances in hydro-electric power, the making of roads and developments in machinery for public works purposes. Re was greatly struck by the work done in the irrigation area in California and spent an interesting time .at Niagara Palis inspecting the power plants there. The United States officials in Washington gave him every opportunity of studying the latest public works, methods, and activities. Mr Fnrkerfc made special study of hydro-electric power distribution in the State of Vermont, where the genera 1 conditions were approximate to those in New Zealand. After investigation there and in other parts of the world, lie has come to the conclusion that New Zealand has the benefit of a wider distribution of power than any other conn try.

Mr Furkert believed that the era of concrete roads is esfab'ished. Re noticed such roads being constructed in many places, and had drived at the nninion t'mt where henry traffic is to be carried, tbc roads must have a concrete formation, and an international road conference in Milan recently affirmed that concrete made the best road foundation, but. it must have n canicting of something else to make it lasting and effective. “Concrete,” said Mr Furkert, “is ali Tigm, if we can afford it. It resolves itself finally into a question of money.” His investigations in England and Scot'and satisfied him that industry was not going back despite strike troub'es. and the general feeling was that the outlook was hopeful. Regarding unemployment a gentleman prominent in the Industrial world at Homo had told Mr Ftukert that the measure of unemployed in Britaui was roughly the measure of the number of women wlio had gone into industries during the war and remained there. About one mi'lion more women were now' employed, in industries than pre-war and they w T ere there to stay.