Thing Of Shreds And

Patches

Bulominski’s Famous New Ireland Road

JEW IRELAND towards the end l of a very wet season finds Itself with its famous East Dast road a thing of shreds and itches. The first 50 miles out of avieng are fair, although lacking le perfection demanded by its lilder, Bulominski. After that, for stretch of 10 miles, there are )les into which (it is said) you luld drop a three tons truck and Dt notice it.

The 170 miles to Namatanai can >w be covered in not less than 15 >urs, including the time it takes be dragged out of morasses.

The villages through which the ad passes are still responsible for e maintenance of their piece of ad, as they were in the days of alominski; and, similarly, the anters are responsible for the road at goes through their plantations, 'ivately, you are told by some anters that the villagers now lamefully neglect their road duty; id by Administration officials that, ough the villagers keep their road good condition, some planters mply refuse to do anything to ,eirs.

Other local opinion about the ad is that its bad state at the esent time is caused by excessive it, combined with bigger and ?ger transport to churn up its rface. Bulominski built his road r carriages and horses, not for esel, multiwheeled semi-trailers, lis line of thought runs parallel findings in Australia in the post er years, when excessively wet asons coincided with the intro- Lction of heavy motor trucks en ged in interstate as well as intra ite haulage.

In the meantime, New Ireland’s ,st Coast road is being recondi >ned slowly by the Common lalth Works Department—resi nts say at the rate of five miles r year! The Department has a iall European staff on the job, me mechanical equipment that jently has been out of action iting for spare parts, and is re ustructing most of the bridges it comes to them.— JUDY

Jdor.