MAINTENANCE OF CONTRACTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 587, 23 July 1913, Page 4

MAINTENANCE OF CONTRACTS.

APLCATI(!>N to council. PUNGAIIEHU AND MAIKOA KOADS. In the matter of metalling contract which have to be held over from Benson to season the position of the contractor may easily savour of hardship. At last meeting of the Waitomo County Council the question cropped up when the following letter was read from Mr 11. Kothery:— "Re Pungarehu road and Mairoa road metalling between Pungarehu junction and Ngapaenga junction. — As 1 have completed meialling these two roads sin< o the end of February and periodically have had men on taking in and maintaining them since ihen, 1 would now ask your council to take them over. These roadH have lieen inspected by the Government and county engineers, and have been found satisfactory and to specification wit!; the exception of a waf«r table between the Arapae and Ngapaenga junctions which 1 have since completed. I might ntste that, in tendering for this contract 1 gnve a separate price for each of the three roads, so I contend that each of these roads is a separate part of the contract, so it would not in any way confuse the remaining poitiun of the job. As this road is in good order and as 1 have maintained it for nearly five months, 1 would now ask your council to take it over and should you ao I am prepared if necessary to allow the 'J.'i per <-cnt. to be kept back until the whole contract is completed. Cr Were said if the Government engineer was satisfied he was. They had not had a recommendation from the county engineer on the matter. Cr Johnston said it might be somewhat hard on the contractor to take over sections of the contract, but an soon as it was taken over the settlers were denouncing the council. He thought it better for the contractor to be kept responsible for the upkeep of the road till the whole .job was finished. If the cost, to the contractor wag too great, it would bo better for the council to pay the contractor something extra. The chairman said the clause in the specitications relating to the position was somewhat ambiguous, and the upkeep of metalling after it had been completed might easily be a hardship on the contractor. However he did not feel like taking the responsibility of taking over the road without the engineer's report. On the motion of Crs Hoffman and Johnston it was decided to bold the matter over till next meeting for the engineer's report.