192 0.

VICTORIA.

l1()Al)S -BOARD.

SIXTH 1tNNlJ 1\_L llEPORT.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT PURSUANT TO ACT No. 2635.

[Cost of Report-Preparation, not given. Printing (300 copies), £65]

11il:\! :£-nfltoritP. :

.A.LBERT 1. MULLETT1 GOVERNMENT PRIN l'GR, MET,BOURNL No. 10 --[ls. 6n.]-3514. INDEX.

PAGE

Concrete Hoad~, Co~t of 5 .Concrete Hoads - Ivir U pton 's He port + Concrete Hoa.ds~'l'rial Section~ to be 1aid by Boani 4 Developmental Hoads, Condition of ;) Developmental Road~, Selection of :) Cost of 'Vorks-ApporLionment of Co.;t .} 1\lotor Car Registrations !j

APP.ENVIUEt;.

PAGE A. Statement of Accounb G-10 B, Apportionment of Expendib11·e, HH7-l0 ll-12 C. Stntement of Expenditure 011 Permanent '\ orks ami .1\binLemtlWC l:l-26 D. Stateme11t of Expenditure on Developmental Reads 27 E. Statement Hhowing Particular,; of Completed on :Main Road~ 28-29 F. Statement shoviing Mileage and Locality of Works Constructed on Main EoadH aud Roads }Iaintained ... 30-3ti G. Statement showing particularK of Surveys Completed on Developmental Road~ 39 H. Statement showing l\lileage and Locality of 'V orks Con»tructed on Develop- ment;d Roatb '!0 ROAl)S BOi\_RD.

SlXrrH _A_NNlJ Al_j llEPO B/r.

1\Ielbourne, 30th November, 1919. The Honorable F. G. Olarke, Minister of Publ~c Works, Melbourne. SIR, I have the honour to submit to you the Sixth Annual Heport of the Board's proceedings, in accordance with the requirements of Section 73 of the Country Roads Act No. 2635. The operations and activities of the Board have continued during the year on lines similar to those of previous years as regards main roads, but supplemented ,-ery largely by the greatly increased respon;;;ibility incidental to the selection and subsequent construction of developmental roads under Acts Nos. 2944 and ~986, and subject to the difficulties and disadvantages arising from the war. During the war period, many important works were held in abeyance in the hope that, with the advent of peace, there might be a more plentiful supply of labour and a reduction in the high cost of materials required for road and bridge construction. This hope, hmvever, has not been realized. Not only is the supply of labour and material still inadequate, hllt the cost of both has materially advanced since tlw signing of the armistice-. This instability of the markets as rega,rds labour amlmaterial, together with the shortage and uncertainty of supply of tl1e latter through industrial unrest, has in a marked degree militated against the progress of works, as many contractors have become nervous and decline to tender under such conditions. In a number of instances, however, where works were carried out directly by the Board, the day-labour system has been adopted, and several Shire Councils have also adopted the system to a limited extent, with satisfactory results. Loan expenditure on main roads duri11g the year amounted to £284,734 7s. lld., as against £226,599 2s. 2cl. for the previous year. The expenditure in maintenance amounted to £179,132 17s. 7d., compared with £173,785 12s. 10d. for the year 1917-18.

DEVELOPMENTAL ROADS. 'l'he prov1s10n of £2,000,000 by Parliament has enabled the Board, in conjunction with Shire Councils, to enter upon an extensive scheme of road development, especially in the newly settled and less developed portions of the State. Every road selected for improvement under this scheme has been previously inspected by at least t'Yo members of the Board, in company with the Shire Councillors and Engineer representing the area. Investigations of this nature of necessity occupy a great amount of time, but they arc found to be essential, as many proposals are submitted which upon examination are proved to be of iusufficient importance either from the point of view of the nuntber of settlers to be served, or the character of the country and its potential de' elopmcnt to justify the expenditure of loan funds upon them. In considering proposals for developmental roads, the examination of those submitted must, therefore, be of a more detailed and minute character than the selection of main roads, which were recognised as main tn-.,fl[c arteri\~S anrl on which the provisiOJJ for traffic already existing was the chief consideration. . In determining the dass of road to be brought unuer this scheme, all factorr,; bearing on future development and permanent occupancy arc carefully considered, including the class of country to be developed, the number and extent o£ holdings, the nature of occupancy, whether for grazing, agriculture, horticultme or (lairying, the possibilities of increased settlement, and the existing facilities for reaching the railway system. In travelling throughout the 8tate tho Board has been much impressed vYith the condition, and in many instances, the almost primitive ro;tatc, of the roads leading to the railways. A typical instmwe of this may be mentioned in the case of the raihvay from Birregurra to Forrest. It is just thirty years since this railway was opened to traffic, and yet at this date it can be stated that there is not a single t~tation or siding on the line that has a road that could be classed as a serviceable road leading to it. Conditions similar to this exist through Gippsland. But it is not only in these comparatively newly settled districts that no attempt appears to have been made to supplement the railway system with trafficable roads. Similar conditions prevail in the north­ eastern District, through which the l\Ielbourne to Sydney railway line has operated for so many years. Between Seymour and Albury there are nineteen railway stations, and beyond a short distance from the railway line there is scarcely one road worthy of the name, or that meets the requirements of the district. . At the date of this report, 192 roads have been so selected, affecting 43 shires. Of these roads, 69 are in course of improvement, affecting 28 shires, the expenditure to the 30th June being £47,561 10s. 4d. 4

As to the remainder, authority has been given for the necessary surveys and preliminary work incidental to the preparation of contract plans and specifications. CONCRETE ROADS. When the Board was appointed in 191~3 it gave early and careful consideration to the question of the character and standard of road to be adopted, and the first report presented to Parliament contained the following paragraphs :-~- Page 44.~" Considering the immense mileage of roads awaiting construction in the country, the choice of road-making materials must he limited to broken stone or gravel for many years to come, if only for reasons of econon1y. The rate of increase of motor transport in the future cannot be predicted. as the increasing reliability of these vehicles, together with an improvement of the roads, will tend to encourage their use for transport of produce. It would appear desirable to anticipate this traffic by making the best possible use of the materials available, awl the provision of reasonable sound foundations on the main traffic routes. Page 58.-" As regards the great majority of the conntry roads, however, where so many miles of tracks are in urgent need of improvement to render them even passable for ordinary farm vehicles, <1ny special treatment for modern forms of trafii.c would be out of the question in view of the funds available for road con::>truction." "It would not only be wasteful to construct roads in outlying distriets to a :" the most suitable, and even at this period t.he Board is satisfied that the conditions of traftic either now or in the near future would not justify any radieal dep

On the authority of Mr. Austin Fletcher, Highway Engineer for California, the iron shod traffic in that State has decreased by 75 per cent. in the last few years, which fact probably·justi­ fied the adoption of concrete as the standard road in that State, where there is a contemplated expenditure of £40,000,000 in the construction and improvement of roads, but it is doubtful if concrete would have constituted the standard road if adequate supplies of suitable road-making material in the form of stone for macadam or gravel roads had been available. A factor which tends to cause hesitation in the adoption of concrete for road surfaces is the uncertainty of the behaviour of this materiaL even if carefully constructed to approved standard specifications, under expert supervision. In an article by Mr. I1. }1. Sandston on " The Status of Concrete Highway Construction in the United States," the following pertinent statement appears:-- " It is not an exaggeration to say that, in so far as the publie has knowledge of the subject, no engineer can truthfully state that he can build a mile of concrete road under recommended practice and foretell with absolute accuracy what will be the condition of that road at the expiration of two years." .L\Ir. Upton indorses this statement. One of the chief reasons given for the wisdom of adopting concrete as a road surfacing material is the alleged low cost of maintenance. If, however, the experience of the Board of County Road Commissioners of Wayne County, Michigan, in connexion with the repairs to the Grand River :Road, as set out in the Annual Report of 1916, be of frequent occurrence the maintenance costs of eonorete roads are not as low as generally claimed for them. Wayne County is probably the pioneer body in America for the extensive employment of concrete as a road surfacing material. The sectio11 of the Grand :River :Road referred to was constructed in 1910, and after a period of six years re-surfacing was found necessary, at a cost of $2.49 (approximately lOs. per square yard). It is, however, stated in the report that the high cost of repairs was due to untoward conditions at the time the work was undertaken. The average cost of concrete roads, 16 feet in width, in the United States in 1916 was stated to be approximately £2,400 per mile, but in that country cement was cheap, whereas in Australia under present conditions of labour and materials the cost of building concrete roads would be at least double the cost of similar roads in America. Concrete roads have not been adopted in Great Britain to any extent, and in Canada they have been used less for highways than for residential city streets. APPORTIONMENT OF COS'I'. The apportionment of the amount expended on permanent w~rks and maintenance during the financial year 1917-18 was made as usual in accordance with the requirements of Section 27 of the Country Roads Act, resulting in a debit to municipalities of £2,108 Ss. 2d. on account of interest, and £86,878 13s. on account of expenditure in maintenance, which amounts were duly received wi.thin the time specified, with the exception of the quota due and payable by the Citv of Bendigo, amounting to the sum of £433 ls. 2d. "' During the financial year 1917--18, the Board was granted a special loan of £100,000 under Act No. 2938 to temporarily supplement the Country :Roads Board Fund to enable it to meet maintenance expenditure, for which inadequate provision had been made under the Country Hoads Act. Of this sum £80,000 was availed of. As the Fund has now been placed upon a satisfactory footing through the financial provisions of the Tramways Act and the increasing revenue derived from the registration of motor vehicles, the Board has been enabled to recoup to the Treasury during the year a sum of £30,000 and anticipates being in a position to refund a further sum of £30,000 during the next financial year. :\10TOR CAR REGlS'rRATIONS. The number of motor cars and motor cycles registered under the Motor Car Act during the year, including renewals, was 26,520, of whieh 16,149 were cars and 10,371 were cycles; the net revenue received, including fines and licenee fees, being £67,66;") 16s. 7d. APPENDICES. Particulars as to permanent works, both on main and developmental roads and main roads maintained, an account of all moneys received and expended during the year, &c., are shown in Appendices. - l have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, ,V. CALDER, Chairman. W. 1\IeCORMACK, Member. W. L.. DALE, Secretary. APPENDIX A.

COUNTR.Y ROADS BOARD FlTND, 30TH .JUNE, 1919.

Dr. RECEIPTS. ExPENDITURt.;. Cr. 1919. £ s d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s, d. June 30 To )Iotor Car Act No. 22:.\7-­ By Halunee 62,152 19 6 :B~ces \)5,614 2 0 LiecnPc Fee~ 3,710 15 0 ~ June 30 .:\c1aintcnance \¥orks 0 I Fines 1'·',) ] Lesl! HPfunds. &c. ·Hl5 3 0 71,813 10 1 , UnusHI Roads and \\~ater 17 7 _\et Xo. l5D1~ Licence !fees 18 7 , :\lisecllancous 136,279 IT 3 , C'onntrv Hoad,q Act. No. 2f\:.liJ 245,H2 14 10 tion ~\'cR. Traction Engin\'S 843 17 0 , Advancr under Spceial Loan Act No, , :\Iunicipaliti< s' Hcpaymmt~~-­ 2D:38 -:Bcpaid 30,000 0 0 (.R Permancnt \Vorks 29,840 10 , Dcnlopmrmal Road~' Act No. 29H-­ :\:L1int.t•JHmcc \VorkH 82,453 :3 4 AdvancP ex Fund 8,708 17 3 14 0 Advan('(' to Account on account of , Advam·e und('r Act No. Permanent \\' orks ,8~6 7 5 293H 0 0 4 8 for :\Iaintenanee i\fain " Act Xo. 2986 50.000. 0 0 , Hire of Plant 1,164 7 11 Rale of Plant 187 15 0 Ol ", Hundrie~ 2 ll , Rt>fund of .'\s to Loan Account. on account of Permanent. \Vorks Ex­ penrlit;urc 272,:358 17 11 , Hcfnnd nf .Advances to Lo<1n Account on Uf~e01mt of Developmental Roads Act No. 114 7 12 l) , Balance I 0

£633,100 19 0 £633,100 19 0 ~.....;;;,;:-.. --~·-~~

H.ECONCILIATION STATEMENT. £ s. d, £ s. d. 16 ·1 Overdraft as per Country Hoads Board Accounts 1 0 3,103 19 1 Less Advanees on account of Permanent Works 46,7D6 7 7

Country H.oads Board Fund Balance Dr. L'3.476 6 7 Less Accounts in transit .. 81,168 16

Overdraft a8 per Country Roads Board Accounts 33,320 1 0 APPENDIX A-continued.

Dr. REVENUE AND J<.:XPENDITURE ACCOUNT.-30rn JUNB, 1919. Or. 1919. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ - s. d. I 1918. £ s. d. £ s. d. June 30 To Maintenance Works General £ '· a. 90,545 16 10 , July 1 By Balance 60,622 18 10 , Maintenance Works­ 1919. Woods Point Road 819 7 7 June 30 , Motor Car Act No. 2237- W alhalla Road 150 8 4 Rcgistration Fees .. • . 65,614 2 0 Omco-Glen Wills Road 166 8 5 Licence Fees .. 3,710 15 0 Omeo Road 166 6 4 ]'ines . . 2,488 13 1 Genoa-Eden Road 106 2 4 Genoa-Gipsy Point Road 11 6 6 71,813 10 1 Orbost-Gcnoa Road 1,892 15 11 Less Refunds and Cost of Administration . . 4,147 13 6 3,312 15 5 67,665 16 7 Less Half Cost, to be borne , Unused Roads and Water Front­ by Fund 1,656 7 9 ages Act No. 1894--- 1,656 7 8 Licences ...... 23,581 18 7 92,202 4 6 Less Refunds and Cost of , Investigation Survey 304 2 8 Administration 1,207 17 8 , Metal Investigation 272 13 0 22,374 0 11 , Testing Materials 50 6 9 , Country Roads Act No. 2415- , Wages 7 12 3 Traction lt]ngine Licences 840 14 0 -..:r 634 14 8 Forfeited Deposits 7l 18 9 , Contributions to Sinking Fund 10,226 17 1 Material, Sale of .. 13 18 lO , Interest on Loans 30,680 11 6 Plant lt~a rnings .. 4,531 5 11 40,907 8 7 Less Working Costs 2,804 14 3 , Camp Equipment 12 2 9 1,726 11 8 , Instruments Account 13 12 8 Plant, Sale of 187 15 0 , Insurance of Employees 214 9 6 Plans, Sale of 85 4 9 , Motor Expenses 383 9 8 ., Permant'nt Works­ , Office Furniture 24 3 3 Contributions payable by , Office Expenses 58 11 11 MHnicipaliti·f~s .. 37,988 10 11 , Plant Purchased 1,107 14 5 , Country Roads Act No. 2986-­ , Plans Purchased 130 19 0 Appropriation for Mainten­ , Postages and Telegrams, &c ... 329 16 1 anre of Main Roads 50,000 0 0 , Printing and Stationery 585 3 11 , Maintenance Works --Appor- , Salaries Account 9,174 6 5 tioned Expenditure Written , Storeyard Expenses .. 60 11 9 Back 50 0 0 , 'rravelling Expenses 791 15 3 -----· 181,004 11 5 , Prosecutions for Breaches of Act 7 13 2 12,894 9 9 , Balance 94,988 12 9 £241,627 10 3 £241,627 lO 3 APPENDIX A.-continued.

BALANCE-SHEET.-30TH JUNE, 1919. LIABILITIES. AssETS. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Advanced under (Special Loan) Act No. 2938 50,000 0 0 Country Roads Board Fund Balance Overdraft 33,320 1 0 Contractors' Deposits, &c. 1,960 18 3 Less Temporary Advances Account Permanent Sundry Liabilities 389 4 9 W arks Expenditure .. 46,796 7 7 Sinking Fund 31,772 8 4 13,476 6 7 Revenue and Expenditure ~Balance 94,988 12 9 Accounts Outstanding 1,258 11 11 Maintenance Expenditure (Proportion payable by Municipalities}--- Contributions Unpaid 30th June, l!H9 .. 2,525 1 3 00 Current year Contributions 88,881 1 5 91,406 2 8 Permanent Works (Interest payable by Municipalities) - Contributions Unpaid 30th .June, 1919 415 1 9 Current year Contributions 37,988 10 11 38,403 12 8 Materials--Stock 312 11 8 Investment Account for Redemption of Loans 31,772 8 4 Trust Account 1,960 18 3 ~ Investigation Account 520 12 0 £179,111 4 1 £179,111 4 1 APPENDIX A.-continued.

COUNTRY ROADS BOARD LOAN ACCOUNT.-30TH JUNE, 1919.

Dr. RECEIPTS. EXPENDITURE. Cr. 1919. £ s. d. 1919. £ s. d. June 30 To Proceeds of Loans 343,557 13 10 June 30 By Permanent Works (Appendix) 284,734 7 11 , , Advance from Country Roads Board Fund 286,826 7 5 , Temporary Advances ~Country Roads Fund refunded 272,358 17 11 , Suspense Account 19 0 0 , Public Account--Advances Account 6 0 , Balance 65,124 9 5

£630,403 1 3 £630,403 1 3

RECONCILIATION STATEMENT. £ s. d. Balance as per Treasury Accounts .. 65,138 6 5 Less Advances from Country Roads Board Fund 46,796 7 7 Transfers Outstanding 13 17 0 ~ 46,810 4 7 ------18,328 1 10

Balance as per Country Roads Board Accounts 65,124 9 5 Less Advances from Country Roads Board Fund 46,796 7 7

Country Roads Board Loan Account--Balance Dr. £18,328 1 10 ·--·--- ..---

BALANCE-SHEET. ·30TH .TUNE, 1919. LIABILITIES. AssETS. £ s. d. £ . s. d. £ s. d. Interest accrued on Permanent Works 18,616 0 11 Country Roads Board Ltlan Account-~Balance 18,328 1 10 Suspense Account 19 0 0 Permanent Works Expenditure to date 1,569,640 9 1 Loans (Securities Issued) 1,591,506 0 10 Interest Capitalized on Permanent Works Expenditure (Act 2667) 18,616 011 Deduct Discount 3,556 9 11 10 11

£1,606,584 11 10 £1,606,584 11 10 APPENDIX A-c(mtinued.

DEVELOPM~JNTAL ROADS LOAN ACCOUNT~ACT No. 2\J44. 1919. £ s. d. I 1919. £ s. d. £ s. d. June 30 To Proceeds of Loans 0 0 June 30 By Expenditure (Appendix) 47,647 10 5 , Advances from Country Road.'> Board Fund 17 3 Less Refunds, &c. 86 0 1 , Balance 7 8 47,561 10 4 , Refunds Advances from Fund ...... 10,411 14 7

£57,973 4 11 £57,973 411

RECONCILIATION STATEMENT. £ 8. d.

Accounts in Transit 8,974 12 0 !--' Less Balance as per Trt>asury Accounts 4,310 4 4 0

Overdraft as per Country Roads Board Accounts £4,6M 7 8

BALANCE-SHEET.~30TH JUNE, 1919. LIABII.ITIES. AssETS. £ s. d. £ s. d. Developmental Roads Loan Account Overdraft 4,664 7 8 Perman(mt Works 49,264 7 8 Proceeds of Loans 0 0 I Contributions payable 187 18 5 Treasury -Developmental Railways Aeeount 18 5

£49.452 6 1 £49,452 6 1

A wWor-General's The Aeeounts han• been auditf'd and compared with the books, with which they THOS. G. BOWDEN, Accountant. agree. Reconciliatious haye also been made with the books and records in the 'l'rPasury. 24th November, 1919. 4th December, 1D1D. .T. A. NORRIS, Auditor-GeneraL 11

APPENDIX B.

CJOUN']~RY ROADS BOARD.

STATE:\IENT OF APPOUTIO~l\IENT OF EXPENDITliRE IN CONNEXION WITH CON8TRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF ;\lAIN HOADS FOH THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1918.

Permanent Works. Maintenance. Permanent Works. l\IaintenaJJCI. a me of Municipality. Name of Municipality. - Principal. Interest. Amount. Principal. Interest. Amouut.

£ 8. r:. £ 8 d. £ 8. d. £ 8. d. £ s. d. £ 8. d.

Alberton Shire 4,059 17 3 45 9 6 520 11 8 Brought forward 47,060 16 11 985 4 10 39,563 15 8 Alexa.m1ra Shire .. 1,318 5 9 20 11 11 6U 11 1 0 () 0 [;) () 5:3 5 0 Huntly Shire ...... 286 lS 4 Ara1,iles Shire 200 Ararat Borough Ka.ra Kara Shire .. .. 2+2 7 5 Aramt Shire 9() 1ii 4 3 5 4 398 n 4 Karkarooe Shire 36 15 1 ou 0 I ,068 10 1 A ,·oca Shire 1,4~5 19 i5 37 11 I ~29 + \l Kei1or Shire 308 3 9 5 8 10 271 17 1 AYon Shire 10,928 ]!) 4 ~28 12 11) \9(\ :l 9 Kilmore Shire 1 15 5 0 1 1 12 7 (i 314 1 () I) Bacchns ~ \arsh Shin• +80 n 4 16 0 8 no:l 12 :l Koroit Borough 5 7 tl J,oa5 7 Bairmdale Shir,, iil!) 7 (\ 1 8 4 :wr; 1 (l Korong Shire 10 0 0 I .. no 2 \) Ballan Shire 872 0 0 (i 1\l 11 :Hti 1 () Kowree Shire .. .. :~84 :~ 7 Ballarat Shire 20 9 6 ii+\l 9 7 K vncton Shire .. .. 5-!0 12 10 Bannor·klmrn Shire 1,199 \(j ](I ~5 16 9 1, \()7 ];) 7 L~.wloit Shire 218 lG 8 2 2 4 7!)5 17 () Barrarbool Shire .. :1.ll!9 10 \) ii1 7 5 Otl:l 1:5 11 Lcigh Shire 484 16 7 2 0 3 167 1:~ 7 Beechworth ShirCI () l.i 6 () 1 () U6 5 :1 Lo,ton Rh ire .. .. 432 18 7 !) Belfast Shire 781 1:l 0 (\ 1 0 1 ,:lilli 2 Lillydde Shire 1,0/a 1:l 7 13 5 8 1,34ti 11 9 Bellar ne Shire 1,~87 5 0 Lowan Shire 403 1:l 8 8 15 1 229 f) 11 Bendigo City 17 l!l 5 :\laffra Shire 4,i540 3 3 149 1K 11 477 14 3 Benalla Rhire 2,±18 9 i ·!5 5 10 151 11 8 Maldon Shire 3 1 1 0 1 :l 121 7 0 Berwick Shir" I ,109 t) 7 7 8 11 5+1 1 () Mansfield Shire 696 1 ;) li -1 :~ 810 1 :l . i) Birchip Shire 45 17 g 1 11 1 :l () Mary borough Bor- Bet Bet Shire S:l 4 7 ough ...... 19 18 1 Borung Shire 117 10 10 0 7 4 . 597 1;) 0 :\Iarong Shire 228 11 6 5 13 9 1\43 12 1 Braybrook Shire 1 lG 0 0 0 3 H52 3 0 Mclvor Shire .. .. 119 17 7 Bright Shire 54 10 11 () 5 7 1,5Gi5 :l