DEPUTATION.

Evening Star, Issue 3974, 19 November 1875, Page 2

DEPUTATION.

A deputation from Riverton, consisting of Dr Hodginson, Mr Daniel, M.P.O. for Riverton, and Mr M'lntosh, M.P.O. for Apaima. waited upon the Superintendent this morning. They represented a meeting tn Id at Riverton on Saturday la;it to consider the unsatisfactory manner in *hich the public works in the Western District are being proceeded with, and at which resolutions were passed and forwards i to his Honor urging on the Government the necessity of having the railway constructed, the line forced in, aud the sums voted for roads at the lusr session of the Provincial Council expended. Mr Daniel said when his Honor turned the first sod of the railway some fifteen mom hs ago it was anticipated that it would be completed in eighteen months, but such would he far from the case, for the works had actually been in abeyance and completely at a standstill for six months. There was great dissatisfaction felt throughout the district at the delay in carrying out the various local public works, and the residents considered they had a right to have them pushed on more vigorously Mr Bews, the Government Engineer, had been treated in a very defiant and off-hand manner bj Mr Proudfoot, contractor for the railway; and in addition to this un pleasantness scores of laboi ing men had left the district through not being able to earn “ tucker” on the line from the manner in which the work was carried out. The contra . tor let out subcontracts, and many of the sub-contractors tailed and left the laborers without their wages. Some provision should be made by Government Mr Daniel thought for the protection of men working under these small contractors. It was not the inhabitants’ place to throw the blame of the slowness of progress on either the Government or Mr Proudfoot, as they did not know the questions at issue between them ; but deputation had been formed with a view of finding out who was to blame, and of getting the various works pushed on Mr MTntosh said the farmers along the course of the railway had suffered to a very large extent through there being no fencing. Ho could not understand the want of progress with the line, for there were no engineering difficulties or obstacles in the way ; and he thought the Government should act in the • matter with the decision they showed in the ! case of the bridge over the a parima. There ! was delay in that case, and the Government ■ summarily took the job out of the contractors’ ; hands and called for fresh tenders. There was , abundance of labor in the district for all the I works. His Honor said no one regretted more i than he the delay that had taken place, and a j vast amount of discussion, consultation, and j correspondence had been carried on by the Goj vernment in the matter for the past twelve j months However, only yesterday they had a j conference with Mr Proudfoot, at which all the j matters in dispute between the latter aud the Government were arranged, and the result would, he hoped, be that the work would be prosecuted with vigor. , He would not say upon whom blame rested ; probably there was some on both sides. One difficulty, however, met with was the time lost in putting the contractor in possession of the land required for the line. A ship was now due at the Bluff (being 115 days out from Home) with a cargo of railway plant, and it was the contractor’s intention to proceed with the fencing of the line at once. Mis Honor’s own impiession was that the work had not been at such a standstill as was represented, for Mr Proudfoot had shown him his last paysheet, amounting to i 1.200. As to subcontracts there was no clause in the contract preventing the contractor from letting them His Honor concluded by saying he thought all difficulties woul i now bo found to be at an end, and good progress would bo made with tho work. Mr M'lntosh ask-d if any compensation would be awarded by the Government to those settlers who bad suffered losses ; through t.hoir paddocks being loft o,jen and unfenced. His Honor would not like to say If the Government once laid down such a general principle they would have an immense number of extraordinary claims sent in.