which have been devised from time to time. The machine can pare or dress the edges of public roads; the portion trimmed at one operation may vary from 6 inches to 30 inches in breadth, while it can be adjusted to cut from 1 inch to 10 inches in depth.

Besides having a suitable framework it is made up of a revolving cutting steel wheel, 2 feet in diameter, which acts in a vertical direction on the turf border to be dressed. The horizontal cutting is performed by a set of blades or cutting tools; the whole apparatus being regulated by suitable gearing, controlled by a man operating two handles placed on the platform at the rear end of the engine. The edge-dressing machine is attached to an engine or road-roller, as shown in fig. 122, one of the driving-wheels of which acts as the leading wheel of the machine, so as to give it rigidity for steering and sufficient pressure when at work. Parallel sights are fixed on the engine to guide the driver in preserving a regular course.

The loosened materials are left in a continuous heap along the edge of the road and can be disposed of according to circumstances. It is a very efficient machine and does excellent work; it is capable of cutting tree roots of moderate size, rank vegetation, and of penetrating stony ground.

It is stated that by the use of this machine, attached to a six horsepower engine, 15 to 18 miles of road can be pared in one week, including the usual stoppages and changing from one part of a district to another.

It may be worked by an engine hired for the purpose, but is generally attached to a road-roller, thus utilizing the spare time should the amount of rolling be insufficient to so employ it all the year round.

The cost of paring a road-side by the machine is 7s. to 10s. per mile compared with £2 to £4 by hand labour. The price of this road-edge cutting machine fitted on to an engine or road-roller is about £90.

404. Engine and Store Shed.-In a county or district possessing a road maintenance plant, comprising roller, road-engine, stone-breaker, rock drill, sweeping and scraping machines, a shed is necessary to stable the different machines when not in use or when under repair. The shed should be commodious but not unnecessarily large, and have sufficient headway to admit of the free passage of the engines.

One side may be occupied by a working bench with vice, etc., for carrying out small repairs, storage for new tools, and a suitable arrangement for placing the oil casks in position. On the other side of the shed the indiarubber tubing, iron pipes, drill steels, etc., can be stored clear of the ground. A stove fixed at one end is a great convenience in many ways. It is advisable to have adjoining the shed for storing drain pipes and other material, a small piece of ground, and which can also be utilized for stabling the plant temporarily.

A shed to accommodate all the plant used in connection with a district extending from 100 to 200 miles of road will be best served by making it

about 60 feet long and 25 feet wide; a cross-section of such a shed is shown in fig. 123.

The columns or standards are generally made of channel iron or Hsection fixed at their lower ends in a concrete block, and having the top part bolted to an angle iron run round the whole erection.

The doors, 12 feet wide, are arranged to slide by means of wheels on a T-iron fixed to the framework. The roof is made up of T-iron principals, having struts and ties, placed over the standards and fixed to the angle iron by means of a gusset-plate.

The covering is usually of corrugated iron, and of No. 20 B.W.G. fixed to angle-iron runners on sides of shed, and to the T-irons of the roof principals or to purlins. The sheets should be properly lapped, and secured with bolts, washers, and nuts. It is desirable to have as much light as possible admitted to the interior of the shed, and for this purpose windows are fixed either in a continuous manner, or detached, on either side of the shed to the framework. Roof-lights should also be introduced at convenient points.

A space at the apex of the principals is left open for ventilation, and a hood erected over it to prevent the ingress of rain or snow.

The appearance of the erection is greatly improved, and the corrugated iron, although galvanized, is preserved by being painted.

405. Cost of Erecting an Engine Shed.—The cost of erecting a shed of the dimensions given, and of the materials described, may vary from 1s. 6d. to 1s. 9d. per square foot of area occupied, or from £120 to £130, with an additional £5 for erecting benches and other internal fittings. It is advisable to enclose the ground occupied by erecting a fence, the cost of which is not included in the figures given.

406. In addition to having a central shed, small sheds or huts should be erected at convenient points throughout the district, for keeping those of the roadmen's tools which are not in daily use. They are also very convenient for storing coals in connection with rolling operations, as in many districts the sources of supply or the railway depôts are situated at a considerable distance; in many instances they will save considerable inconvenience and loss of time.

If these huts are made of a sufficient size a considerable quantity of fuel can be stored, to supply the requirements in case of emergency. They need not be expensive erections, and may be made either of old railway sleepers or with wood posts, and covered with corrugated iron sheets, at an outlay of from £8 to £12.

407. Purchasing Tools and General Stores.-The purchasing of tools, oils, coals, blasting explosives, and detonators, demands careful attention. If the workmen's tools are obtained locally and in small lots, owing to the want of a proper place to store them, it is evident that the cost of procuring these articles is greatly increased, beyond what would be that of purchasing in large quantities for one or two years' requirements. The supplying of the

necessary tools and stores by contract, and delivering them at one or more convenient points in a district, tend to promote economy, and the saving effected in two or three years will be sufficient to pay for the expenditure incurred in erecting sheds and huts for this purpose.

The month of January is the most suitable and generally the most economical time to purchase tools, oils, etc.; while the contract for supplying coals for the rollers and road-engines should be made in the month of March each year.

In the author's experience the saving effected by purchasing the different articles by contract annually has been 33 per cent., compared with the system formerly practised of procuring the tools and other stores as necessity

arose.

408. Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of Roadmen.-Printed rules and regulations should be issued for the guidance of roadmen as to the hours of labour during the summer and winter months, the procedure to be followed in the event of a breakdown or failure of any of the subsidiary works, such as drains, culverts, bridges, embankments, etc., and the arrangements necessary to cope with a fall of snow.

These need not be of a voluminous nature, as long rules only lead to confusion, and are in most cases of little practical advantage; efficient supervision is the only way to attain the maximum results.

The regulations for the Cantonniers on the national roads in France are of a very comprehensive nature, but, apart from these, the supervision is carried out in a thoroughly systematic manner.

On roads which have been rolled, the surfaceman's work is principally confined to siding, cleaning out channels and ditches, repairing footpaths and occasional scraping, while his services may be requisitioned during the summer months at the quarrying, breaking, or rolling operations. It is not advisable to perform the work of surfacing by contract; and as the road foremen and casual labourers are paid by day's wages, the division of roads into lengths makes it easy to compare one man's work with another's when a system of close superintendence is carried out.

In districts where a fall of snow generally takes place each winter it is necessary to provide snow-ploughs to effect such a clearance as will facilitate travelling. These consist of planks fastened together in the shape of a V, 22 inches deep and shod with an angle iron on the lower edge and 4-inch iron plates at the apex, properly stayed in the centre and outer ends, with provision in front for attaching the means for hauling it by horses. The usual size made is from 10 to 12 feet long and 8 feet wide at the extreme end. These are of little use in heavy drifts, which must be cut through by the roadmen with the assistance of extra hands when necessary.

409. Footpaths.-Footpaths alongside roads leading from one town or village to another are of considerable public importance, and require to be

kept in an efficient state of repair. They should be formed of hard materials affording perfect drainage and finished with fine gravel, furnace cinders, or screenings from the breaking machine. In populous places it is advisable to form footpaths of a much more permanent and satisfactory nature, for which purpose tar concrete and similar suitable materials are made use of. The object to be attained is to make a perfectly dry and serviceable path during wet weather, when other parts of the roadway may be in a sloppy condition.

410. Milestones and Direction Boards.-Milestones indicating the distance between important towns generally exist on most of the main roads in Britain. These are now supplemented by guide or direction boards fixed to posts and placed at all important points, such as where one road branches off, or where one road intersects another. These may be made with one or more arms on which the mileage to villages and towns on either side is indicated, while in some instances the elevation of the road above sea-level is also added.

411. Annual Estimates and Actual Expenditure of Road Repairs.The annual estimates of the cost of road maintenance should be made in detail, showing the allocation of the metalling, the number of cubic yards or tons per mile of road, the price per cubic yard or ton, the cost of manual labour, rolling, and any miscellaneous expenditure, such as bridge and culvert repairs, tools, etc., with the total cost on each section of road.

The actual expenditure incurred should be recorded in detail under the separate heads of metalling, road-rolling, labour, bridges, culverts and drains, tools and sundry items. This may be kept in the form of a diagram showing the cost of the different items of work carried out each year, while the total expenditure, including all these items, should be tabulated on a separate form.

It is usual to construct these 'diagram accounts' with vertical lines, on which the years are marked, horizontal lines being plotted to show the number of cubic yards of metalling applied per mile of road, the cost of this, and also the expenditure incurred for labour, rolling, repairs to bridges, culverts, and other collateral charges. These diagrams are extremely useful for reference, and the history of a road for many years, indicating its capital value, can be seen at a glance. By this means the cost of the maintenance of different roads can be readily compared, and if the system was generally adopted valuable statistics relating to roads generally would be available, so that the annual expenditure for the several items enumerated in different counties of this country could be collated, which would prove very beneficial in forming a comparison, and undoubtedly promote economy and efficiency in management.