Correspondence

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 19, 22 July 1893, Page 2

Correspondence

Roads and Engineers TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR. Sir, — I notice in the Star of the sth instant a letter from-- ft correspondent signing himself ll Broad Tyre," in the forepart of which letter " Broad Tyre " makes a few reasonable suggestions, with which, I am sure, most back settlers will heartily agree. In the latter part of the letter "Broad Tyre" mentions, "That the roads in the various parts of the district are most unsafe where cuttings have been made, due to the fact of ' skimping ' on the part of the contractors, and neglect, or worse, on the part of the engineer." I maintain, sir, that the trouble is, in a great measure, due to the careless and indifferent manner in which our overseers or engineers perform their duties, and it seems to me that so long as our engineers are paid by per cent age on the amount of money expended by the Board, so long will the settlers have reason to complain. As an instance of our engineer's carelessness we need only to look at the Oroua Valley Road. According to the opinion of many of the settlers using this road, the quantity of metal mentioned in the Bonrd's specifications was never placed on that part of the road known as Lowes' Siding. When the engineer found time to inspect this work, he ordered the contractor to place a ■ certain amount more metal on a short section along this siding. The contractor did place some metal on the road, and in some places gathered the sand and rubbish from the watertable, and placed it in the wheel ruts. Now, had the engineer been wide awake when he went down this road he must have known that the work had never been properly performed. 1 also know that the contractor was agreeably surprised when the work was passed. Farther down the same road the sides of the cutting have been left 'almost perpendicular. Of course we all know that where the earth is of papa formation it will allow a steep batter, but the part I allude to is ordinary loam and loose muck. The consequence is that slips are of frequent occurrence along this cutting, and during (he wet weather it is a customary thing to find ft few additional extraordinary persons who mny have been good men, hard at work doing the work the contractors should have performed Now, I maintain that if the contractor had shirked his duty then the engineer shirked his also ; and if the contractor performed his duty then the engineer is to blame for preparing such ridiculous specifications which allow of such work being passed- There is a deal of grumbling among the settlers, and even when one of them does make v complaint, however humble, he seems afraid of his own name. I con Id mention other instances of mismanagement on the part of the overseer, but, no doubt, 1 have already said enough to condemn me to immediate execution. — I am, etc , A. L. Stokes, Birmingham, July 17.