THE DInangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1877.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 15, 14 May 1877, Page 2

THE Dlnangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1877.

It would appear that the Hokitika County Council is not without its troubles with regard to the question of road maintenance. The immediate difficulty is in reference to the C&risteburch road. The County Engineer recommends that the road be mains tamed by day labor, upon the following basis : — A man to be stationed at every eight miles, and a gang of six men with three horses and drays would be a sufficient staff. The total cost is estimated at £2500 per annum. The suggestion, however, does llot appear to find general favor in the Council, as notice of motion was subsequently given that the maintenance be per* formed by contract. This appears to be precisely the position of our own Council with regard to the subject of road maintenance. That the roads would be far more efficiently maintained by the employment of day labour there can be no question whatever, butthe one great, and as it seems to us insurmountable objection to the adoption of that plan is the primary one of cost. The Council has pet down £1500, as the amount required to keep the Grey road in repair for the remainder of the current year How far that sum would go in the employment of day labour we do not profess to be able to say, but the amount would appear to be all sufficient. Up to the present time the highest sum paid by the Road Board, for the yearly maintenance of the Grey road from Reefton to Dereryg' Terrace has been £600, or thereabouts. The work has certainly not been performed faultlessly, and perhaps a good deal of blame for this, rests on the Board itself. To carry on this work by day labour, the Council would have to pay wages at the rate of £B to £3 10a. per week ; whereas contractors hay& a peculiar method of their own of getting men to work at a much reduced rate, and it is the business of the Council to profit thereby, so long as the work required to be parformed can be properly specified, and in this case we think it can, the Council cau run no risk whatever. Then £2500 is set down as the sum necessary to keep the Buller road in repair. This amount, it is to be presumed, has been scaled upon the day labor basis— a sum equal to the estimated cost of keeping the Christcburch road in repair. At the present time the principal traffic on the Buller road is the bi-weekly mail coach. At the price, this would be a rather expensive luxury, and it would probably be cheaper for the Council to purchase the coach, stipulating that the mails be carried on horseback. We, have no present means of knowing what the maintenance of (his portion of road cost the Hoad Board last year, but believed the sum was a little mere than one third of the present estimate — nn amount which appears quite equal to the exigencies of the route. We have no

wish whatever to detract from he oroper importance of keeping the Sus main loads in Stable repair, but it must be seen at once that if the CouncU commits itself. to these «- travagant Bums for maintenance, the community, from a ratepayers point of view, will be not nearly so well off as when under the old Road Board regme. For this reason, then we strongly urge upon the Council the impropriety ot resorting to the principle of day labour, believing as we do that under properly framed specifications, efficient supervision, and the prompt exaction ot penalties for failure of performance, the needed work can be carried out, so as to fully meet public require* merits.