Harbor Contracts.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 274, 16 March 1889, Page 2

Harbor Contracts.

(to the editob.] Sib,—Your remarks of Thursday morning, in reference to the subject of Harbor Board contracting, are to the point. The ratepayers have had quite enough illustration of how things would be carried on if the breakwater construction is at the present time let by contract. You made one very important omission, but the ratepayers are not blind to the point. We don’t want any mors of this “ commission ” business—experience has taught us sufficient to warn us against anything more of the kind, bat that is the long and short of the proposed contracting—- ** commission” or the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. Goodoos knows there is enough of this kind of thing already carried on in Gisborne, and 20s-in-the-pound men find it a hard strnggle to keep their heads (commercially speaking) above water. If you will allow me, Sir, I will pat my opinion concisely and strongly—if the mem bars of the Harbor Board allow the works to ba let in one contract at the present stage, they will be traitors to the interests of the majority of those who put them in their seats.—l am, 4c., AxTi-rar.

Sib,—l am glad to see that a move has been made in tbe direction of having the remain, ing portion of the breakwater pier done by contract, which as yon seem to think should have been done in the first place. But you forget that it is never too late to mend, and so far from agreeing with you I think the argument now is ten times more in favor of contracting. All the minor works, as you say, are done under this principle, and why, if that is so satisfactory, not also have the main work done in the same way? If a principle holds good in the one instance, it only a matter of proportion in regard to main work. All the machinery io now hand, and the preliminary work has all boon got in order, so that oontnotors would have everything plain sailing. It te a sraH-known fact that men work far better wh»n they ere under a contractor whoa saparvteion they know they cannot elade than they weald for a public body, when it is to the intersits of every one engaged to make their work last as long aa possible. Take the case of the Harbor Engineer for instance; every week the work : s delayed makes a great difference to him—about £l5 a week I think. Ido not wish to impute he would do so, but ignoring the temptation on the one hand there is nothing to spur him on to vigor on the other. Under a contract system, everything is different.—l em, etc,, Expeditiox,