NEW ZEALAND ROADS.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16834, 28 June 1926, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND ROADS.

TOURING ENGINEER'S IMPRESSIONS

CONDITIONS VERY GOOD

Some very inloresling observations on mad construe! inn methods were given In ;i Waikaln Times represpnlal.ivc mi Salurday by Wm. 10. I,cask, of Melbourne, who is louring Australasia us Ihr> engineer rpprosenling Iho roads construction branch of Hip Vacuum nil Company. Ply., Lid. Mr I.cask is an authority on road building anil administration. Ho arrived in Wellington on .limp 8, and subse(liiprilly motored up Hie West Coast of Hip North Island via Taranaki, inspecting Hip main highways and secondary roads. After spending a few days at Auckland, .Mr Lcask camp on In iianiilton, and lel'l on Salurday for llolorua, after which lip will proceed down Iho Basl Coast to Wellington. He will then visit the South Island and will leave New Zealand al the, end of next month. Mr Leask's investigations are confined to a comparison of the road conditions of New Zealand with other countries and a slndy of the character and quality of She roads of this country, together with Iho object of paining definite information regarding the roading programmes for the iipxl, fpw years. With Mr Eeask is associated Mr C. It. Petlit, formerly of California. Toll-Gate System Commended. "The New Zealand roads compare more Ihan favourably with those of Australia." said Mr Lcask, "lhat is, the majority of the country roads. I was agreeably surprised to find that, so much good roading had bepn carried out away from the business centres in New Zealand. Taranaki especially is to be, congratulated on the conditions of its roads, which. I understand, have In Ihe past, mainly been constructed from toll-gate revenue. This, I think, is a very excellent system. The money for rnaiinlenance is provided by those who actually use the roads, and no burden is imposed on Ihe rate payer, who probably does not use Ihe road for other than walking. In the Hamilton district the roads are in very good order, considering the length of time they have been down. The concrete road from Frankton deserves the greatest commendation. Of course, it may be found necessary at a later stage to protect the surface wild a covering of bituminous concrete or some other type of surface dressing. Where good waterbound macadam roads exist which are, likely to carry traffic for some considerable lime the practice I would urge local bodies to adopt is to apply i a scaling coal of bituminous mixture. That method is carried out very generally in Victoria and New South Wales. Send Engineers Abroad. "Tlip chairman of Ihe Victorian Country Hoad Hoard recently visited | the Lniled Stales, England and Ihe j Continent and as a result of his ob- ! serrations has brought brick many . valuable suggestions, and the people j of Victoria should bcnclll substantially j as n result of his investigations. In my j opinion il is a profitable investment < for all communities planning large ' reading programmes lo semi abroad . their engineer in charge to study con- ! dilions in oilier countries. That, could , not be treated as an expenditure, but j as an investment. If it cost £IOOO ; to send an engineer abroad and Willi j Ihe knowledge gained he. could not j save on a eonsprvativc estimate £IOO a year in expenditure, representing j 10 per cent, interest on the outlay, I he would not be fit to occupy his posi- I ticn. i

Methods in Australia.

"In Soulli Australia it is interesting In note thai Mr I>. Fleming-, director of the fiovcrnmcnl Roads and Bridges Department, lias been so firmly ennvinccd of the value of bitumen hotmix (realmcnl Hint his programme for Ihe coming season is G 5 miles of main arterial roads requiring bitumen dressing. Seven complete, bituminous concrete mixing plants will be required for the work, logctner with a large number of rollers and scarifiers. The hydraulic concrete road is usually, laid with reiuforcemenl in Australia and seems lo he Hie method of of construction most favoured by engineers, with a bituminous carpel, either painted or sprayed on the road in tin: form of a hot-mix application one and a half or two inches in thickness. *

The Comonweallh Governments, recognising (he necessity for building main arterial roads capable of carrying the fasl, heavy vehicular motor tralTlc which has rapidly come into existence during the past few years, has found that the water-bound macadam is quite inadequate lo withstand tin- wear and Hie roads have to be, conslrucled by some oilier means. To pill this into olTecPa vole of .CM.000.000 has been granted by Mr Mill, Minister of I'ulilic Works and Itailways. wlm. Ihrougli Hie main road hoards in r;,ch Stale, lias allotted the money hi proportion lo I lie population. Thai gives Hie borough and connlv. councils an oporlunily of utilising lh\|r money |,i more advantage in the making and maintenance of secondary and thirdgrade roads. .Many of I lie country roads at present are simply dirt. or gravel and are pruclically impassable' in bad weather. ••In conclusion I must congratulate the people of .New Zealand on having engineers who take such a vital inleresl in Hie const rue I ion and maintenance of Hie highways and roads which I have seen since my arrival." An American's Observations. Mr <;. H. Point, who is travelling Willi Mr l,oask, was one of the few men who got out of the Mexican revolution id jire-war days when he served as a soldier of fortune under j'aneho Villa. He spenl six inonllis in Liu; Cold Harbour region of the Arctic in oil and mineral exploration work. For Hie last seven years be has been engaged in the oil industry in California. llis observations in the Waikalo district were, he said, an absolute eye-opener and Hie Hamilton ratepayers were fortunate in having such a capable engineer as Mr Wmley to look after Iheirj'oads. "Do not. he 100 ambitious with' your reading programme. There is only a small pocket 1,,, support il. and the roads can be preserved by carefully planned prol.rlive treatment." was the advice Mr Pettil had to offer.