The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. TO IMPROVE THE ROADS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10916, 4 November 1913, Page 4

The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1913. TO IMPROVE THE ROADS.

Christchurch has few drawbacks from a municipal point of view., but one matter for serious complaint lies in the condition of the ronds both in the city and suburbs. la hot,, windy veatliei life is mado almost unendurable by the loathsome clouds of dust winch fi'l the streets. This dusb invades tho lungs of the inhabitants and percolates every crack and crannv of the houses and business places along the thoroughfares. It devolves upon the local bodies interested to devise means of overcoming this ' state of affairs, and to give tho populace 6ome relief. In this connection a recent communication received in Australia from Mr J. Russell, president of tho Municipal Association of Victoria, is interesting and riting from Great Britain Mr Russell says:— " I have now travelled over England, Wales and Scotland in a motor-car, and have had opportunities of seeing many towns and travelling over, many roads, and although the conditions in the ■British Isles and in Australia are very different, some things have been forcibly brought home to me. One is the absolute necessity for every municipality, either in town or country, ,to make provision for future generations by providing ample spaces for gardens and children's playgrounds as near the centres of their towns as practicable. English roads, I venture to say, aro tho best in tho world. Good roads, everyone must admit, are essential in every country, and in Victoria they are a consummation devoutly to bo wished. In England most of tho main roads havo been made for hundreds of 1 years. Tho foundations were made when labour was cheap. The material of which they are made, mostly hard granite, is much "better than V ictorian bluestone, and is easily obtained. 1 find that they aro tarring the roads everywhere, and it is a great improvement on the old macadam surface. The roads are smooth to travel on. and practically diustless. In tho cities the roads when not wood paved are constructed of natural asphalt or bitumen, but in the, country, where the traffic is not so heavy, the old roads are covered with a preparation of gas-tar. I motored froni London to Portsmouth, about eighty miles, along a tarred road all th© way, and from Liverpool to Lancaster (fifty miles) over a similar road. I have often watched an ordinary country macadam road being constructed in England, and their method is very different from ours. No dust is over used for binding the road. Small pieces of chipped granite about the size of a man's little finger-nail are used, and> each different layer of the road is very well rolled with a steam-roller after being well watered. The chief engineer of the Main Roads Board qhould certainly be sent to England to see their method of construction, and to enable him to say what would be the best method of construction of roads in Victoria with the material available, because there is not the slightest doubt that Victorian bluestone is not nearly so suitable as the hard granite used hero. I see that Edison predicts that in twenty-five years' time all th© roads in America will be made of cement, and have' a perfectly smooth surface on which only, petrol-driven machines will run. Victorian councillors must recognise that motor \ traffic is the traction of the future. If +hey travelled they would &oon be convinced of this fact. The motijr traffic is amazing 1 to mo. It has opened up) again all the country hotels which since the old post- : ir,g days have languished ; and now each country town caters in every way : for motorists, reoogni3iug that the bringing of tourists means increased 1 expenditure in the town, ond therefore increased prosperity to the ratepayers. I find that even here the Government is being urged! to spend more money on the main roads." , Tlie Christchurch roads are nob only dusty, but many of them aro very unr even in the curface. It is too much to , expect that the local bodies concerned will bo able to undertake the huge expenditure involved in providing a universally smooth surface, but in view of the enormous traffic which our thoroughfares have continually to carry, - and t-ho great relief it would bo to the people to have decont roads, a greater , measure of expenditure would undoubt- '■ edly bo justified. At all events, if the i use of gas tar has given so much relief 1 j in obviating the dust nuisance in the Old Country, there is every reason r why it should be introduced here on as lr.rgo a scale as possible. The loss caused to our traders and the inconvonieneo to the general public through j the dusb nuisance is so great that we 0 hopo our leading citizens will take an - early opportunity of bringing pressure • to bear on the local bodies concerned to give earnest consideration to the whole problem.