THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, NOV- 14. 1877.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 95, 14 November 1877, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, NOV- 14. 1877.

As will no doubt bave been gathered from our last report of the County Council sitting*, a sudden and quits unexpected difficulty has arisen in reference to the acceptance of tenders for the construction of the Grey-Reef* ton rond. Ifc will be recollected that upon receiving Mr C. Y. O'Connor's report of the route, the Couucil at once had the line surveyed, and detailed plans prepared preparatory to inviting tenders for the work. Finally tenders were invited, and the Council recom** mended one for acceptance. Ife wV necessary, however, that the tender* should be forwarded to Mr C. Y-. O'Consob, and tbat wns accordingly done, but now, after tbe lapse of several weeks, and after the large expense gone to by tbe Council in surveys, the news oomes that the General Government vote for this work has lapsed, and no funds can be available until the Estimates are parsed. But this is not the worst. It will be recollected that at the time of Mr O'Connor's visit to the Inangahua an agitation was got up by one or two interested persons to put forward w,hat was termed an ''alternate route" down , the east side of the Little Grey from ' Deyery's Terrace *:o Donald's farm below the Grey Juuction. At the request of the "County Council, Mr C, "V, o'CoN>-OTt inspected both route*, nud having done so, forwarded a report to the Council, in which he admitted in effect that unless the Council was in a position to bridge tbe Grey River tbe old route was the most practicable. As the Council saw jio bope of raising such a sum as £10,000 to bridge that river, ifc followed out "the impression conveyed by Mr O'Cqnnoe's report, and decided upon adopting the old route, nnd wenfc to the expense £f some hundreds of pound** in surveys, and calling tenders.- Now, however, ifc would appear tbat Mr O'CoNNonhas completely altered his mind respeoli-ng the merits of the two routes, and has actually advised the Goveremenb nofc to sanction any expenditure upon road work dowu the south ronte, and hence, ifc is fco be presumed, comes the Announcement that the funds provided for the work have lapsed. As we bave already said, this vacillation on the part of Mr O'Connor has put the County to a very expense, and placed another obstacle in the way of the ■ progress of this long pending and much needed public work. In order tbat we may be sure we do not misrepresent Mr O'Connor, we will here reproduce the portion of his report which influenced the Council in its subsequent action. Mr O'Connor says : — " The course which I think would be moat advisable would, therefore, be to provide, if possible, sufficient funds for a bridge oyer tho Grey river, in line of western mute, and to construct tho road along that route, using a punt to carry the ihe traffic in the interval between completion ot bridge, but if tbere is no prospect of funds for bridge being available, then I fear there iajx©'alternative except to follovt* tTie' eastern routo, because although a punt would work now, and might for a long time continue to work well ou the river opposite Mr Donald's, tbere is nothing to guarantee the stream remaining iv its present course, so that A*ithobt'fe>a bridge the traffic would be liable to ba interrupted at any time, even iv amall freshes." What, then, rguhl bave so soon induced Mr O'Connor to alter his opinion upon the subject ifc is not easy to see, but that he bas altered it is clear enough, and altered in a raan« nf-r which involves this County in a heavy aud wasteful expenditure. The Council i\ in uo way to blame in the matter, for knowing at once that there was no possible chance .of " fund 3 being available" for bridging the Grey river, that body proceeded to act upon Mr O'Connor's recommendation to carry the road dowu the eastern line. It is to be hoped, ho\vever, lhat the Council will not permis

the matter to end here, for tliis County can no more afford to suffer through Mr O'Conkobs fickleness tlian the inhabitants can afford to have a publ'c work of thia importance and magnitude delayed, The Council will, therefore, be acting rightly by piac** ing the whole of the facts before the representatives of che district in order that the question may be brought prominently beforo the House, If matters are allowed to proceed as Mr O'Connor now seems to desire — if the whole of the work done by the Council in preparing survey plans, &c,, of the road is set on one side, the last chance vanishes of the road being constructed for another year.