THE BOROUGH ROADS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3583, 24 July 1912, Page 2

THE BOROUGH ROADS.

QU ESTiON OF THESR CONSTRUCTION. POLICY TO BE PURSUED BY THE COUNCIL. EXHAUSTIVE REFORT BY THE ENGINEER. The Engineer (Mr A. J. Paterson) in accordant*© with instructions received, reported on the subject of road con--;tru tion to last night’s meeting of the Jorough Council as follows: ‘ln reporting on road construction it is first necessary to bring the following facts before the Council: The return from the quarry for the last nine months has been 10,330 ya rds of stone and 112 d yards of screenings; and the stone was distributed as follows:—Cook County, 3232 yards; streets loan construction 7100yds; and streets maintenance and other accounts, 3890yds; or, roughly, one-third each to these different works. The last quarter’s output was 4170 yards, and taking this as an average we have 17,000 yards animal output, which, distributed in the proportions mentioned, gives: Cdck County dOOO.vas, streets maintenance and other accounts -GOOOyds, streets loan account 0000. Tlie gravel in sight at Ivaitaya-'t-ahi is about 7000 yards, of which about 3000 yards are required for Victoria Township road loan construction, and 3000 for private roads for which the Council, has received cash deposits, leaving a small balance for sewer construction. To construct an 18-foot strip of limestone macadam road down the centre of any of the important side streets will require at least 2000 yards of stone per mile, while Gladstone Road west of Grey Street will require 2300 to 24)00 yards per mile between the south kerb and the tram rail. Therefore the safe rate of permanent road construction can be set down at two to three miles per annum, and this can only be increased by finding another ballast pit, or installing another hauling unit, or by working the present .plant overtime. The screenings out-put will bo sufficient to keep the footpaths well ahead of macadam construction. Limestone roads cannot

bo considered finished until treated with tar and clean, hard, fine shingle. About 2500 gallons of tar and 130 yards of shingle are required for a mile at an average width of 24 feet. Fine shingle from Wairoa is the best material for finishing, and all tar useci should bo as free as possible from the water and oil usual in coal gas tar, and it is very advisable that a certain amount of mineral asphalts or bitumen be added when this material is used as a “binder” ; and to properly prepare the tar, a plant on the “Watei worth” principle, similar to that used at Napier, is required. As the roads become gradually better, of course, the quantity of stone necessary for maintenance decreases, leaving a larger quantity for loan constructionBut this ratio will be decreased by the gradual lowering of pressures on the locomotives, if run at their present high efficiency. The approximate cost of constructing an 18-foot width in the centre of our roads can be set down as follows:—Formation £3 per chain; metal on-road, £l2 10s per chain; rolling and finishing with tar £2 10; per chain; —£18 per chain. Then, allowing that from 25 per cent, to 75 per cent, of the money allocated to each street on the voting paper of the 20th December should be reserved for footpaths, it then can be estimated what length of each street so mentioned can be constructed out of loan money. Take, for instance, Palmerston Road : Footpaths, sav, £132 ; 33 chains road construction, £594; amount on loan, £726. Stout Street : 24 chains 18ffc tarred roadway at £1S —432; footpath construction’, £132; amount on loan, £564. Rutene Road: 18 chains 18ft. tarred roadway at £18 —£324; footpath construction, £9l; —£415. Therefore on a conservative estimate the results will he: Quarry output for loan work, 6000 yards; length of 18ft wide tarred streets, 3 miles; footpaths 5 miles; annual expenditure from lean, £6OOO. With reference to shingle roads, rfttli the material available and allowing for the construction of private roads it is possible to construct IT miles of shingle roads per annum at a cost of £IOOO per mile, or, £ISOO in all.”

SHOULD THE REPORT BE ADOPTED ?

The Mayor said that the report putbefore them showed clearly what they had got to look forward to, how lar they could go and what they could to in the next three years. It was a very valuable report and it did not seem exaggerated or that they were attempting too much for the money that was in view. Somewhere between £SOOO and £6OOO of the old road loan was left and with the loan of £15,000 which they were asking the ratepayers to confirm next week they would have something like £21,000 for the next three years. They would be able to construct 9 miles of metal roads, 4.1miles of shingle roads and 15 miles of footpaths. Of course that would not complete their roads and they could look forward each year to spending a certain amount of money out of general revenue. He was not prepared to say how fast the work could be done, but, if the loan were authorised thev could look forward to have as ..-uch money and they could spend during tho next three years. Each mile constructed was so'mueh less to maintain and when this money was expended there would be a decrease in maintenance. He hoped they would be able to do without a further loan, but A was impossible to say whether one would be required during the next three years. The position was not one to be alarmed about, and during the next three years they hoped to do a great deal of good work and the construction of fifteen miles of footpaths alone would lie a great boon to the ratepayers. At the end of the three years every district would be fairly well served though he did not say every mad would have a footpath. Cr. Bright thought that they should to given time to go into the report. It would he hotter to discuss it at next meeting. He did not think that the hum should l o spent in accordance with the schedule drawn up in December, 1909. lie thought that they should as far as possible construct permanent work out of loan money, and do patching cut of revenue. He moved that the report be held over. Cr. Collins objected, and after discussion it was decided to proceed wi ll the consideration of the report. Tho Mayor moved that the repo’t he adopted.

Cr. Coll ins said that ho wanted *•> start from -the basis of this question. The ratepayers were in the dark as + i tiie policy tho Council intended to pursue and how much the Council was going to burden itself with and how much it was going to leave for future Councils. They required to know the mileage the Council was going to do. and whether the Couneil was going *o do the works in their entirety. With their present limitation, they could 'not hope to do their roads at a greater rate than 2* miles pen' annum, and therefore it would take 13 years to complete the 32 miles. The ratepayers had had their roacls bad for so long that they wanted them put in order. The Engineer would construct tho roads, with another ballast pit and in creased rolling stock in eight years, and the cost would be .£60,000- Tint would mean they would have to pay about £7500 out of loan per annum for the next eight years, and the ratepayers could anticipate a loan for road construction of £60,000. They would have to go to tho ratepayers with a definite policy and it was useless for them to heat about the bush. If they had followed his advice they would have done this two years ago. They would also have to find £SOOO per annum for maintenance, making £12.500 for roads alone. If they wished to do tho work at the rate of four miles per year they would have }o increase the haulage or find another ballast pit. The Engineer had one in view.

Tho Engineer: That is so. Cr. Collin® said that tho responsibility of the roads was thrown on to the Council, but it '"'as not this Couneil that was to blame, l>ut the conservative policy employed by previous Councils. There was very little to add except to hope that the report would be passed. Cr. Smith said that before the report was adopted there were one or two matters he would object to. Cue matter was increasing the plant on the Gentle An nip line. Before such a tiling was done the Council Humid visit the Quarry and the new ballast pit. He would not agree to the present plant being in or cased if the quality of the metal did not improve. If they were importing Wnirna shingle they should not spend money on a new grave] pit for private people, and before they sought another pit they should exhaust the Kaitaratahi pit. The Couneil should visit these places. Cr. Wade said that lie thought the Gentle Annie Quarry metal was disap-, pointing and ho did not think it was satisfactory for permanent construction- He -was not in favor of the expenditure on the plant on this source of supply as the stone was not

of sufficient quality for carrying out good work. Or. Hepburn thought that the Engineer had thrown away a lot of money in metalling some roads with six inches of Gentle Annie stone. He was not in favor of putting on any more engines to haul that in. What about your new ballast pit? The Engineer: You can't draw me. Ci 1 . Hepburn : Well, I hope- the ratepayers won’t be drawn. It is all right to shake your head, but the ratepayers will have to be answered. Cr. Bright: What is the effect of adopting this report? The Mayor said that he thought that it would be just, in the nature of approval. The Council would have to go into the matter afterwards and deal with the various items. Cr. Bright: Well it ought to be received. The Mayor: Very well. Cr. Collins: 'lhen we can’t discuss it? The Mayor said that he considered the adoption of the report did not bind the Council. They considered it was a correct report, but it did not compel them to put a certain amount of tar or metal on anv road.

The Mayor said that he would alter bis motion to read that the report' be received, and that it be further considered bv the Council.

Cr. Bright said that it seemed to him that municipal rating had reached the breaking limit as far as Gisborne was concerned and they comd not ask the ratepayers to cm bans: on a loan of £OO,OOO- The loan of £15,000 would give the Engineer two years to work on, and then at the end of that time they should see how matters stood then before going to the Council. It was far better for them in their present position to see what would result at the end of that time. They would then have a better chance of carrying the larger loan. He pointed out that they would be soon launching their rate notices under the new valuations, and this would also have to be considered.

Cr. Collins pointed outlie was dealing with an 18 feet of road construction, not 32ft., which would cost £120,000.

Cr. Wildish said that it behovc-d Councillors to consider the roading construction. He agreed with Cr Bright’s remarks that they should wait for a time until such a large loan was launched as proposed. The Mayor said that he congratulated Cr. Collins on his remarks, and he was no doubt correct in his figures. He did not agree with him that it would be wise to approach the ratepayers now. When they got the £15,000 it would not'be required till the end of tho present financial year, and the public would not be called on to pay interest for two years. By the time the balance of the old loan and the £15,000 were spent the Council, he was sure, would be able to show good solid work. The £15,000 had been previously authorised and he hoped it would be carried. The passing of the report- did not moan that they were going to purchase a new pit or plant. The question of a ballast pit was of very groat importance to the borough. There was, according to the Engineer, only 7000yds left at Kaitaratahi. He thought -that if after due inquiry it were found that a new ballast pit would supply more and better materia! they should go in for it- He was m favor of selling the shingle to contractors and builders, lor it- reduced t'c • cost of the shingle required by the Council. It was good business, fie thought, to sell a portion of it. He was sorry to hear the remarks of Councillors regarding Gentle Annie metal. 11. Cv’ knew it was not a first-class quarry and knew that- a truck of indifferent metal came to hand occasionally. He thought Councillors v.ho were constantly making complaints about it would be better employed. He had had Mayors and others from the South Island, and they were men et experience, and they had all expressed themselves favorably on the quarrv. H_> had heard it said that the met tl was as good as that obtained in Napier. He wanted to know what they could expect when the metal v.s thrown into ruts. It was bound to disappear. He thought it of - : rstelass metal, and instead of running it down it would be far better if the Councillors were more loyal to the Couir.il, himself and the officers. A. large proportion of the metal was good and sound, lie was satisfied it was good metal and the time would come when they would see the necessity of increasing tho plant. They should not attempt, a proposal of this kind without having a sufficient plant to bring in the metal rapidly. The more rapidly the metal could be brought m the better and more economical could the work be carried out. He had no doubt about the quarry and metal. Ho had visited the quarry week after week to see what was being done. If it could be slumn they could make better plans regarding ’ metal tnen they would investigate-them. The report, he thought, was a very valuable one, ami lie would table it for future discussion. The items would again be brought before the Council and thoroughly considered and he hoped they would all give their assistance. Dr. Collins said that he was sorry that they thought he wished the loan raised at once; that "'as not so. The motion was carried.