The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-21
WOOOBLOCKS
FOR PAVING
]. W. Smith Here
to Propose the
Experiment.
MATERIAL COMES
FROM AUSTRALIA
Pavements Laid in European
Streets Have Proven Success.
full With Few Repairs.

been used on the streets of Sydney for
years without deterioration have been
brought to Honolulu by ]. w. Smith,
former Honolulan, and efforts will be
them on one of the principal streets in
this city. Mr.. Smith, who left Homo
lulu two years ago, went to Sydney,
where in company with a dozen of the
most prominent men in New South
Wales, he organized the Commonwealth
Lumber and Shipping Company. Linn
tied. The company is the first to OBJ
tain from the Government grant of
timber lands, amounting to 10000 acres,
which, with freeholds, they have bought
give them the exclusive right to forest
lands fifty miles square.
With this enormous tract of land COW
cred by the most valuable woods of
Australia the company now seeks an
outlet into every commercial country
of the world. Mr. Smith, who is now
in the city, en- route to Sydney, has
on exhibition at Jordan's store on Fort
street, samples of every class of wood
found on this preserve most of which
are available as paving blocks. Several
merchants of the city, who have seen
the samples, will endeavor to have the
experiment tried here as it is clearly
demonstrated that a saving to their
wares and merchandise will be more
than protected by the substitution of
wood paving for the dirt streets now
in vogue.
The company which Mr.. Smith rep
at present premier of New South
Wales; T. Wadden, colonial secretary
of the Wales government; c. A. Lee,
leader of the opposition in the state
legislature; Hon. A. Kethel, a member
Of the upper house for twenty years:
Hon. James Inglis, late minister of edu-
cation, and chairman of the Chamber
Of Commerce; E. John Fox, retired
merchant; r. Walker, manager of the
New Zealand Timber Company; A
Forsyth, C. Henty and Mr.. Smith. The
company has secured from the gov
eminent the greatest right to public
forest lands ever granted there.
1.-THE finest Streets said Mr.. Smith
yesterday to an Advertiser reporter
"are in Sydney. The woods used there
have established themselves as the best
material for that purpose in all the ex
periments that have been made in the
large cities Of Europe The experiments
there were shown to me by the city
engineers, and the two varieties most
used-tallow wood and black butt
have proven so satisfactory that they
have cost nothing for repairs. They
look almost new although they have
been in use for years. Other European
city governments have spent thousands
of marks and kroners in repairing their
other experiments in street pavements,
The various experiments are running
consecutively on principal streets and
the Australian woods have proven sue
cessful. Some of the wood pavements
have been used in Sydney for eighteen
years and are still in fine condition
This climate is admirably adapted to
the use Of wood pavements and they do
5 not have any tendency to raise the tenn
perature of the streets.
I'm several American cities the en-
gineers have talked about putting in
Australian woods and they have calcu-
lated that the freight will not cut any
figure in the cost of putting in the Aus
tralian woods. In other words they
have calculated that the wood pave
ments can be put in cheaper than any
other pavements.
I'VE have been granted an area or
the harbor front of Sydney where we
will erect our mill, and where oul
wharves are to be extended. The pres
ent methods of getting out timber anG
finished products are crude and they
are not able to get out a sufficient
quantity to supply foreign markets.
went to London to enlist capital there
to procure the machinery but found the
money conditions bad, but secured or
ders from one firm for $4,000 worth o.
material per annum and so on. l have
orders for cutting 10000 feet per hour
for every twentyfour hours. From
Canada a timber expert accompanied
me here and he has continued on tt
Sydney on the Ventura. He will in
spect the forests and make report or
our prospects"
The woods which Mr. Smith has will
him are samples of the black-butt, tai
low-wood, red and white mahogany
ironbark. gray gum. blue gum rec
gum. hooded gum, brushbox and blood
wood, silky oak and others well known
One of the most interesting blocks o
wood which Mr. Smith has VITA hin
Is section Of ironbark which has
history. 1t Is taken from pile sunl
into Sydney harbor forty years ago
It was sheathed with copper which ha!
rotted off. The teredo and cabra hav,
made no inroads on the pile and 1t il
In as good condition as when driver
into the harbor. This wood Is also uses
for street paving The blue gum pawn.
blocks are 3x7x10 inches, which how
ever, in Germany, are cut into smalle
pieces. Mr.. Smith carries with him
letter from the New South Vale:
Premier in which he states:
Mr. Smith Is visiting Europe on bust