BALLANCE TEACHER'S RESIDENCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 196, 14 May 1920, Page 7

BALLANCE TEACHER'S RESIDENCE

Sir,—l would be pleased if you would j grant me space in your columns in re- j ply to a local appearing in your issue i of May i. This gavo the reply of tho ] Wellington Education Board officials to j the action of the householders of Bal-'; lance in refusing to elect a committee ■ in protest against tho inaction of the | board ns regards the erection of a■) teacher's residence. Tho officials are ro- ] ported to have stated that the contractors have asked for a six weeks' exton-' ■ 6ion of time—hence the delay. They,! ! however, neglected to state 'when that- j request had been made. Perhaps a brief. I resume of the case will throw, a different j light on the action of tho householders, j It is, unnecessary to tell the full tale ] of the efforts made by the committee*; during the last three years, which re- j suited in a grant being made by tho '1 Department in June last, after the mor- ; its of the case had been fully investi- 1 gated. The matter was then in tho'-'J hands of tho board. The first tenders j received exceeded the board's estimate \ by about ,£IOO. Eventually a tender : was forwarded by a local firm at th'o'( beginning of December last. Had that I tender been accepted within a reason- .: able time the house would, have been,-; erected in January or February. How-'i over, it was necessary for the board 'i to approach the Department for an in-'! crease of the grant. Consequently no. i reply was received by the contractors ! tfntil the cud of January, when they.' were notified that their tender had been : accepted. As they naturally had con-'; eluded that their tender was 'not fac- j eepted, and''arrangements with sub-con-'; tractors had lapsed, they on Feb- ' ruary 12 wrote to tho board stating that ' it would be six weeks before they could _ ■ get tho timber on and ask-' ing for that extension of time. Now, ; ; Sir, no reply whatever was received to., 1 that letter until the teacher wrote to ' the board at the end of March,' asking j what progress was beins raado in tho • matter. Then the board wired the eon-:' tractor to commence the work. Had ; they pushed the matter in December, = when a likely tender was received, or.! later, had they notified their accept- j ance of the extension of time, or for- i waTdcd the- contract affain, the work ; would have proceeded. However, in the ) meantime, the price of material had j risen, tmdjho road to tho mill .whera j the timber hail beer, ordered ha<{ he-,I come practically, impassable. „ At the ' present time th'» contractors aro willing 1 ; to supply the lOonr. provided the board i will supply 'the material. ■ ' j Now, Sir, it can be .seen from tho 1 above facts that the delay is entirely i due to the. dilatory manner in-which. ; the board has carried out its business,'■■! ond that tho,action of the householders I was not tho hasty, groundless action the ■ board- official? would have ,yonr readers'! believe.—l am, etc.. '" *! J;. H. BREMNER, ..! ■! Ex-Chairman Ballanca S.C i Ballance, May 7, 1920.