COUNTY MATTERS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1601, 16 September 1885, Page 2

COUNTY MATTERS.

H»(To the Editor Inangahua Times.) Sir— l wish to draw attention to the way some of our County works are carried out in this Couuty. I may remark the way contracts are carried out. The Engineer draws out elaborate specifications and plans (or some one does it for him), tenders are called for, and one accepted, the lowest in most cases getting it, and the work is left to the contractors. Possibly the Engineer may pay a visit once in two months or so, or the foietnan, or whatever he is called, a visit now and again, and the result, as a natural consequence, is a thorough sluming of tie works. And then comes the economical part of the business. Men, and very often horses and drays, have to be put on at a heavy expenditure, and little work done for the money, and when the Engineer is taken to task about it he says "Oh it iscustomery to do so," evidently nullifying all his specifications, and carefully prepared plans. The whole thing is farcied. Instance the wire bridge Rainy Creek, with the £15 0« Od and overseers pay • (and who appointed hunt, also roads recently constructed from Cnishin-tuii to wire bridge, and the amount ii money expended oa them since they have been taken ovor from the contractors. And how much more in .uny will have to be spent on them before they are mado roads and fit t«r traffic ? Now, the Eudneer gets a pretty #>*] salary for a non-professionl man. a-ni g. 0 1 allowance for his horse, in fact, far to,. much, aud there should be nothing to prevent him going ail over the County iulJ

' days, over every road in it, with the exception of Hampden, and that can be do-*? in a week, sixteen days in all, plenty of time to see to all the works, seeing he has no draughting to do now (at least not in office). Why not the County have their own horse ; they* can buy one cheap enough now, and if can be kept for £1 per week. They have stables, and the only outlay is buying? the horse and trappings, when tl a week can be saved, and that is something to look at in , tlie financial position of tho County. And now comes another episode of the economy business. Some two months ago a break wind or dam, whichever purpose it was meant for 1 know not. It did not stand long, whether it was blown down by the wind or water matters not now it has left carrying destruction along with it. I should suppose it cost t3O done by day labour, men, horses and j drays and altly superintended by County overseer and horse. Well another one had to be built as a letter from a mining company claiming protection for theirrace. A discussion arose about it last me * ting of Council. Councillor Campbell proposed it should be don* by contract and quarries angular stones us it, when the Eugi- cc saiii it would be far too expensive &«., ? Now what are *hey doing carrying out Councillor Ctuipbell's suggestion so far that they ate using angular stones, | but doing it by day labour overlooked by the aforesaid overseer and his horse, and I venture tosay it will cusjt twice as much as if done by contract. I mean a contract properly cariied out, and the work done in a workman like manner. When Cr. Campbell pro posed it be done by cutract it failed to get a seconder, as did also another proposition of his although resolution after resolution have been proposed and carried that no works above £5 be done without calling tenders. Now we tind the members for Murray and Crushington rhtings sitting in their places saying nothing, the very men that was to do away with all such abuses. I hear great complaints in both the above ridings about the negligence of the Engineer and I know not without reason, more especially in Crushington riding, where the new roads constructed and passed notwithstanding the stringent specifications, should be an eyesore and disgrace to any councillor, unless he be endowed with a careless indolent apathy neglecting the interests of his riding, and the parties who returned him. lam &c, Scrutator. September 14th, 1885.

[We havo inserted ymir communication, omitting some portion wliich was rather too personal. The letter as it is is too lyngthy. Tf correspondents wish their letxei* inserted they must be brief. Ed. 1.T.1