King Country Chronicle Wednesday, January 18, 1911.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 329, 18 January 1911, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Wednesday, January 18, 1911.

The movement towards what is known as the "universal" Saturday half-holiday has extended to Te Kuiti, and strong support is now being given : to the idea by quite a number of prominent firm?. At this juncture, when the experience of Nelson, known as ' "Sleepy Hollow," by those fond of giving' nick-name.-, is quoted against : the reform, it is instructive to turn to ' what they are doing in Sydney and the State of New South Wales generally. ; From the information furnished to a Sydney Morning ® "Herald" reporter and published in another column, the shopkecpe r s are pleased with the change to Saturday and have no wish to revert to the old mid-week holiday. On Saturday we put the point! of view of the shop-assistant and the public. To-day we argue that the storekeeper himself will benefit equally with his assistants, by getting a substantial break in the week at the week-end. Te Kuiti is a country town without fear of competition from near rivals. It depends upon to settlers in the district for its support. They come into town curing the week and not necessarily on Saturday afternoons. These points we again submit have some weight in deciding what shall be our half-holiday. The important diccuscion which took place at the Waitomo County Council meeting on Monday night on | the possibility of expediting the ex- : penditure of road grants under the ; control of the County raised a very | difficult question. For once, let even

the devil have his due. The Public Works Department, by a circular dated November 19th, intimated to all local bodies that this year the Minister for Public Works had arranged to have the grants available at, a much earlinv date than previously, and urged that application be nnde as soon as possible. In Waitomo County a new, sparsely settled area -roads are Wanted everywhere, and nearly thirty different grants, mostly small sums of £SO to £IOO, are listed as available

as soon as plans and specifications have been submitted and approved. Unfortunately, a county engineer is only one individual, and for h;m to visit the different places, draw up specifications, return to his oil Jco and work out plans, means occupying much valuable time just at tin period when the dry weather is here, and the work could be most conveniently done. He is overwhelmed, in short, by a mass of detail work which no one man, however able or willing, can successfully cope with in the time available. The average settler, seeing the good weather going by, and no apparent progress being made, curses the Government, the County Council, and the County engineer with great impartiality and vigour. What, then, ia the remedy for the chaotic stale into which things have fallen. Is it too late to urge the re-establishment of the lioads Department in Te Kuiti? It had its faults, and failings, but with its knowledge of the district it

certainly got more work done than lias been possible under the present dis•—"Pc >sation. The Council seemed to think that the engineer should employ assistance at discretion. Whether that will prove a satisfactory solution remains to be seen. In our opinion an assistant engineer would have been a good way of helping on the work, liut the whole problem is surrounded with diflicultiea. The grants are there, the weather is here, and given the plans passed, the work could be done. We sincerely hope a solution of the tangle will be found, and that the whole of the grants may bo expended before the. end of the dry season comes.