COUNTY METALLING METHODS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 738, 20 January 1915, Page 5

COUNTY METALLING METHODS.

THE MANGAKOWHAI ROAD. COMPLAINT FROM SETTLERS. At Monday evening's meeting of the Waitomo County Council a number of ratepayers petitioned against the manner in which the road was being metalled, and asking that the Council try and arrange for the Pubilc Works engineer to rueet one or more of the ratepayers before passing tbe work.

The engineer said the contract was let for the supply and delivery of metal, and the Council had a man on the job to see that the amount was delivered. The contract was not yet completed, and had to be passed by the County engineer and the engineer to the Pubilc Works Department. The chairman said he considered it useless to deal with complaints on an unfinished job. The work had to be thoroughly inspected by two engineer before it was passed. As far as the metal supplied was concerned the Council had a man checking each load and giving receipts as t*ie loads were tipped. They would have tt) assume dishonesty on the part of the Council's employees in order to accept the suggestion that tbe proper amount of metal was not on the road He was not prepared to do that, and thought the matter should be left until the work Was inspected by the engineers. Cr Jackson said he Was not charging dishonesty to anybody, but the settlers were under the impression they were not getting a proper deal He had tried the road iri various places, and found very shallow coating of metal. He thought something shoull be done in the matter. In his opinion the system of work in vogua was not a good one. He was not blaming the engineer, but considered the Council should take more interest and obtain better men. The chairman said they had only recently instituted the system now in operation, and as stated by the engineer it had been decided to work on these lines after consultation with the Public Works engineer. He thought it was a good system and he was not prepared to deal with complaints by settlers pitting their knowledge against that of the engineers. If Cr Jackson said there was only three inches of metal on the road and the engineer reported after inspection that there was six inches he would sooner take the engineers' opinion. Cr Jackson asked if the amount of metal was not on the road what was the position of the Council. The chairman said the contractor got a receipt for every load of metal he delivered, and had to be paid for it. The Council bad not yet had a case where they had required to expend money on a contract when it was completed, and they should not impute dishonesty until there was reason to do so.

On the motion of the. chairman and