BOROUGH METAL SUPPLY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2611, 20 September 1909, Page 5

BOROUGH METAL SUPPLY.

REPORT liY MR. JARRETT. A meeting of the Borough Council was held on Saturday night to consider a report by Mr. Jarrett, Wellington manager for Messrs Pitcaithly and Co., on the handling of the metal and shingle supply of the Borough. There were present the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar) and Crs. Harris, Smith, Somervell, Darton, and Clayton. An apology for non-attendance was received from Cr. Collins. The Clerk read the report from Mr. Jarrett. Having carefully studied the relative qualities of the stone and the general conditions of the quarry sites for economical working, Mr. Jarrett strongly recommends the opening up and working of the Gentle Annie site, as of the three sites visited this is undoubtedly the best proposition in every respect for quarrying, crushing, screening, and loading the stone into trucks or waggons. Without an aerial tramway to span between the quarry site and the road, the quarry could be worked on a basis’ of 5000 yards per annum, at 2s 7d per yard; or on a 10.000 yards per annum ‘basis, 2s per yard (including interst on capital cost, working expeness, and depreciation). The necessary outlay would bo £I9OO. With an aerial tramway the metal could be handled on a 5000-yard per annum basis, at 3s ljd per yard, or on a 10,000-yard per annum basis, at 2.s 5Jd per yard. The cost of this plant would be £2500. With regard to the question of carriage. Mr. Jarrett estimates that to install a light tramway along the roadside from the quarry to the borough depot, a distance of 13 miles, would cost £15,200. The cost of haulage by tramway, basing the annual output at 10,000 cubic yards, would be 3s per yard delivered at the depot or roadside : on a 5.000-yard basis it would be 5s 3d per yard. The capital outlay required for installing 13 miles of tramwav and crushing plant would be £17,700.

After expressing the opinion that it would be useless to further attempt opening up a face of the outcrops of Waihirere stone for road dressing, the engineer turns to the question of the best methods for hauling and screening Kaitaratahi gravel on the works. From the quality of samples inspected, only 25 per cent would be fit for road purposes where heavy traffic has to be contended with, but it could be used for footpaths and light traffic roads. Of the two schemes set down for screening and loading the grave! at Kaitaratahi by bucket dredging and grab dredging, be recommends the latter scheme. Apart from showing the saving of 61d per cubic yard over that of bucket dredging, there are no risks compared with that of a floating dredge working in or along the banks of the river. In submitting his report on the cost of screening the gravel in town. Mr. Jarrett takes it for granted that the Council will find use for the by-pro-ducts for footpaths and light traffic roads and sidewalks. He recommends the institution, at a cost of £2OO. of a plant at the Gisborne railway station for the elevation and screening of the shingle, giving a storage capacity cf 40 yards, •which, with working expenses, interest, and depreciation, can be bandied, screened, and loaded at a rate of Gd per yard. In conclusion he recommends opening up and working the quarry for all the maternl required fer dressing heavy traffic; roads, and thereby concontating all workings to the place for heavy traffic metal, thereby increasing the output and reducing the cost of production. In answer to the Mayor. Dir. Jarrett said that his opinions had not altered at all after a second visit to the quarry. He recommended a gravitation system, and considered his estimate quite sufficient to cover the cost of the road round the foot of the hill. He had always found it best to put on a machine oi good capacity, and the metal cost would not be felt sufficient to take it into account. With his estimates, he considered there would be storage capacity at Gentle Annie for 700 yards of metal. With his system there would be no stoppage of work through wet weather.

Cr. Darton congratulated Mr. Jarrett upon the extensive and full report presented, which he felt had solved the problem of metal supply, which had been troubling the borough for ma ly years. Ir. reply to Cr. Darton, Mr. Jarrett said that Waihirere metal was not fit for heavy traffic. The unscreened gravel coming in from Kaitaratahi was not fit for heavy traffic, but were it screened it would do, provided it were the best metal obtainable. Ho consi lered the Gentle Annie metal the best thev could get. He could not compare Gentle Annie metal in any wa,- with serrened gravel, but would recommend the using of Kaitaratahi grave! i--r footpath purposes and Gentle 4 nn u metal for heavy traffic. In a bad season, 75 per cent of the present quality of Kaitaratahi gravel might last up to 10 years on an ordinary road with lighttraffic. It would be advisable for them to obtain as much Gentle Annie metal as possible for the heavy traffic reads. There was only a limited supply of stone at Gentle Annie, and ho would advocate the use of both that metal and the Kaitaratahi gravel. Twentyfive per cent of the gravel was suitable for heavy traffic roads, and when he found the gravel to be suitable for the roads he would not go to the extra expense of getting Gentle Annie metal at 5s Id per yard when gravel could be obtained for Is lid per yard, the present charge. It would be wiser for the borough to take 10.000 yards of Gentle Annie metal at 5s 6d, than to take 5000 yards at Ss 4d if the expenditure was warranted. The borough would be quite safe in offering metal to any other bodv at 5s fid per yard at or over 10,000 yards. He did not think Straker waggons would do any harm to the roads, and he had not allowed anything for this in his estimates. It they wanted 10,000 yards or over, he would say that a tramway would be a good scheme, and better than the Strakcr waggons. Trams could do no harm to the roads, and with trams they would have to make storage provision in town. Straker waggons would not go over soft roads. They would go over metal, but not over Kaitaratahi gravel. If they had the output, it would pay them to go in for a tramway instead of Straker waggons. In answer to further questions by the Mayor and other Councillors, Mr. Jarrett said that clippings, from the quarry could be provided cheaper than by importing Napier shingle. On a basis of 9000 yards the Council would not bo warranted in considering a He would want a guarantee of WXWI yards .per year for 40 years to warrant a tramway. Gentle -mine stone was being tested in "Wellington, but the tests were not yet. completed. { h damage to the roads through »-Yi . waggons would not be felt and in many cases had improved m, Where carts cut the road up, the b - i- r „. wnceon consolidated it. i no « ai {iere mefnl was good metal to spawl,

and sustained a most satisfactory water absorption test.. For this reason it would be better for spawls than Uatu- p tahi metal, which was very dense. At the costs mentioned, he thought thev would be very wise in using screened Kaitaratahi gravel for the Bide streets. He would recommend the screening of Kaitaratahi gravel at the town end at a cost of 6d per yard, bringing the cost to 2s 5d per yard. On the motion of the Mayor, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Jarrett for bis able report, and the meeting concluded.