COUNTY ROADS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 409, 10 March 1904, Page 5

COUNTY ROADS.

Sxb,—l have just seen your leading article, re County Bonds in .your last issue.:lquite agree with you that the action of the Road Inspector demands some explanation, and as you have included me in your remarks I am very glad to give the explanation, which. is this:—The men you mention were not put on the road with my authority or knowledge, and as the *Road Inspector has full charge of that department, and as he had made other arrangements for getting the work done he was quite right in doing what he did. The rest of your article does not concern me here, and I simply make this explanation in common fairness, as you have not taken the trouble to find out the true factb for yourself .—I am,' Ac.,' - ' QtiO. L". CUTHBKBTSQN, * County Engineer. County Omces, Clyde, 7/3/04 [The explanation given by Mr Outhbertson is scarcely satisfactory, insofar that it does not explain why the Road Inspector allowed over three weeks to elapse before,-completing' his ; " arrangements for getting the work done." Our information was to the effect that, recognising the urgent nature of the work, the member for the riding (Mr W. 0. Pitches), with the appte|j|Lof the member for Earns* and of the En- i gineer, authorised two men to proceed { with the work of repairing the damage done to the. road. In stating .that the Engineer approved of the action, we' were apparently misinformed, and wej accept Mr Cuthbertson's statement to the contrary; but, nevertheless, we still "think there were reasonable i grounds for the complaint made in our • last issue. There is, we a"' resolution standing on the Council's minute-book empowering any councillor to 'personally"authorise the carrying out of any .work of an urgent nature in his riding, to an extent not exceeding? .£lO. The work to which we referred was certainly of an urgent nature, : and men were sent to repair the damage, on the authority of the member for the riding. In view of these facts, we again rise to inquire if the Inspector was " quite right in *do-, ing what he did," when by his action' he delayed the work of repairing the road, and thereby seriously inconvenienced Jrorge number of ratepayers.— E». A.H.] , '