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PROCEEDINGS OF THE COLONIAL COUNCIL FOR ST. CROIX. (Continved from yes'erday’s Avis.) 4th appointed Member (Blackwood) re- marked: Mr. Chairman. [ asked the Public Warks Officer what it would cost to build a macadamized road, he said Eighteen Thousand dollars. That’s a pretty io margin. [f we build a conerete road the introduction of trailers and auto trucks on the island would save the big concerns a good deal of money, because they would be having good roads to run them on. When we were cperating here weprepared plans and specjfications for building a road, but we were turned down; we. had an estimate tc spend One hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to build a railroad and that proposition was turned down also. lam not oppos- ing this measire, I am only showing the difference between a concrete road and a macadamized road. Per aps a concrete road would be better, but I am thinking nf what would serve the people best. From what I have read a macadamized road would be much better and cheap- er. We have been spending money very liberally here and probably will have to wait a long time before we get as much. I, as a good citizen of the island, feel that I must pay taxes but I also feel that I must be given an oppor- tunity to make the money to pay it with. 3rd Member for Frederiksted Country District (Nordby) remarked: Mr. Chair- man. [ have been listesing to what was being said on the bill before us, and I wish to call attention to the fact that for many vears rast the question of good roads were being discussed in this Coun- cil. It seems that some people do not bear in mind that maintenance is the most essential part of the expenditure on a road. The other day I saw Mr. Fleming fixing a fence on his estate, he has all the materials he wants on his estate with which to build a fence, why did he order iron posts from the States to build this fence? It is because it would cost less to maintain, [ take that as an example. Member Coulter says e wanrs to be convinced about the best road. We are partof a big nation today, -ve cannot stand and wait and depend on what our neighbors are doing, let us go ahead, our roads ara bad, and for the sake of the maintenance, Ibeliev> and feel that a concrete road is the best. sth Appointed Member (Lunney) re- marked: Mr. Chairman. [ listened to the remarks on this bill in these two last meetings, andIwent to the trouble of getting advice from the cement Manu- facturing Company in the States, and I have received some blue prints, and S T o rOLIX A. bE with your permission I will read a few extracts., The Member read the follow- ing: “The concrete road is the natural evslu- “tion of the maeadam road- an evolu- “tion hrought about, by changed traffic “‘conditions. “The macadam road depended upon “the Abraision of steel-tired traffic to “form a limestone dust whieh, when wet, “constituted the binder. The automo “'bile, with its whirring rubber wheels, ‘removes this binder and sends it off “in clouds to fertilize the fields along “‘the road. Result: the disintegration “"of the macadam road. **Many other binders, such as asphalt, “*coal tar and other bituminous rccamac, “‘glutrin, ete., have been tried in vary- “ing success. Moisture and the swift “traffic of modern times make repeirs “‘necessary soon and frequently. “Portland cement is the most tena- ‘‘ciou and enduring binder known to- ‘*day —the only one that produces a road “‘that can readily be called permanent. ‘A concrete road is high grade stone ‘“‘held into place, on a good, well-drained “subbase, with this strongest of all “‘known binders—’ortland Cement. Fin- “er aggregate—sand—is used to fill the ‘“‘voids in the coarse aggregate. Now- “*adays mesh reinforcing is generally “‘used. But the kernel in road-making ‘‘is the binder, and there Is no substitate “*for Portland Cement in strength and ‘‘permanence, - “*Costs. A waierbound macadam road “‘costs approximately $1 per square yard “‘ifit is built as it should be. The main- ‘‘tenance ‘cost o: macadam roads in ‘‘some states exceeds SB.OO per mile per “‘year ““The real cost of an improvement ‘‘is measured by the service which it ‘‘yvields in proporiiyn to the money in- ‘‘vested in it. ‘*Aconcrete road costs, on an average, “‘51.25 to $1.30 square yard, and main- ‘‘tenance costs, in sections having 50 to ‘“100 or more miles of these roads, are ‘“‘below $50.00 per mile per year, - **Costs in 5-Year and 10-Year Periods. “*Taking the foregoing figures, and con- ‘‘sidering that there will be no main- ‘‘tenance cost on concrete roads the first ‘‘year, the real oost of the two roads ‘(macadam and concrete) is approxi- ‘““mately oqual at the end of flve years “*that i, $13,200 per mile. It is general- “ly conceded that aroad must have a “‘good subbase and be well drained, if ‘it is to last any reasonable time, no ‘‘matter what the type; and this expense **should always be figured on. ““The macadam road with its increased ‘‘maintenance will cost more every year *‘and will soon have to be replaced, Ihe ‘‘concrete road grows stronger with age *‘and maintenance costs are practically ““negligible. ‘‘Below are some extracts from bulle- “*tinNo. 136 of the Office of Public Roads, ““U. 8. Deptgof Agricwiturz, on the sub- ““ject of Highway Bonds. "It is gewnerally accepted that roads “built with surfaces entirely of concrete “or with a brick pavement and a con- “erete foundation are permanent. "It the road surface is built with the “‘proper mix of concrete and carefully “‘placed it pparently should last indeffi- ““nitely an ! not rut. “'The sum of $525 per mile. on an Aver “‘age, should therefore absolutely main- “‘tain macadam roads if changes and in- "‘creases of traffic are not excessive. “It is clear therefor , that S7OO per “‘mile is not an excessive estimate at “‘present for the annual cost of all re- “‘pair and maintenance of bituminous- “‘macadam roads. "'The cost ot all maintenance and re- "'pair over a series of years has ranged “'in the past from 6 to 10 per cent of the “‘original cost of construction on the “‘average, und varies with the type of “‘construction. Concrete roads and brick “‘roads apparently are a marked excep- ‘ tion to this rule.”’ 4th Appointed Member (Blackwood) would like to kpow if the Honnrable Speaker knows what a water hound ma cadamized road is? Ist Member for Frederiksted Country Nistrict (Andersen) said,—l understand that it means a macadamized road with plenty of oil poured upon it. That’s why the Public Works Officer figures that the road would cost only slightly more than a macadamized water bound road. Ist Member for Frederiksted Town (Coulter) remarked: Mr. Chairman % agree with 3rd Member for Frederiksted Sountry District (Nordby) that we should go acead instead of watching our neigh- bors, but in this concrete case 1 was referring Lo our nearest naighbor; the island of Porto Rico. WhileI cer- tainly will not agree with any state- ment that we are far beh'nd as compared with our neighbors, I cer- certainly do not think we can elaim that we are mor:= grogressive than they are in that island. | think their progress is an experience for us here. Itis up to you gentlemen to prove to the people who are objecting to the building of a conerete road that they are wrong. The island of Porto Rico does not go in for concrete roads. With reference to the extracts road, may I ask what,magazine that is? dth Appointed Member (Lunney) an- swered: From the Alpha Portland Ce- ment Company. Ist Member for Frederiksted Town (Coulter): It is expected that the Com- "pany will speak in its own behalf. Ist Member for Frederiksted Country District (Andersen) remarked. Mr. Ceairman. At the time the military roads were built in Porto Rieo con- crete toads were not yet in existence; however, macadamized roads in other parts of the world are being replaced