THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1873.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 211, 14 March 1873, Page 4

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1873.

Me. Eeeyes, in bis speech, at Sel wyn, is reported to have said that, when he. held the office of Eesident Miniates of Public Works for the Middle Islkrid/ " the Government were greatly per- " plexed by tbe receipt from all parts " of the Colony, but principally from " Dunedinj of offers to .undertake: " work. The offers were of the vaguest " possible description—at ten, twelve,, " even," he believed, fifteen per cent. " below the estimates of the .Govern- " ment engineers. During the session,, " these offers by contractors who were " totally ignorant of the true character- " of the work,contracted for, and bellow estimates of the Government " engineers,- were made the ground- " work of charges against the Govern T " merit," that they had passed'.' over " legitimate offers to. construct' lines a£ " rates lower,than had been.given " Mr. Broaden." He further is reported to have said "that no.contract " had been given without the specifip " approval of the Government engi- " neers in writing—who were engaged " in checking and examining plans, as " well as the, amounts and items _of " eacli tender sent,in by Messrs. Brog- "- den—and in no case had the Govern- " ment accepted a tender from them " without a complete, searching exa- " urination, extending oyer a week or " ten days, and after six weeks had " been spent by the Government' e'ngi- " neers in examining them." We have quoted Mr. ,Keeves, to throw a little flight upon the mode of action.with regard, to.the acceptance of tenders for public contracts put in force by what it is the' fashion- to call the haphfW&d, impulsive Government. Provincial authorities with delegated powers would be presumed to be equally, if not more, cautious ; yet we think we are correct in saying that the Superintendent, in conclave with the Goldfields Secretary and the Provincial Engineer, accepted tenders for contracts Nos. 1 and 2 on the Head Eac& after, at the outside, an hour's consultation—tenders, some say with apparent truth, about twenty-five per cent, below the engineer's estimates. From the very liberal nature of the specifications for these piibliG works, it was only a matter of-common prudence that any tenders should be very,carefully considered ; for a speculator, on a foundation of sand, might hope possibly to gain something, and in no case could lose what he had not got. Putting aside the rumors of

that reach, us on all sides fromthe works on.the Head Race —we knownot with what truth—the mere fact of the successful tenderer never having; seen the ground should have called for extra eauticn in accepting his tenders too readily. We were very inucti surprised that contracts Nos. 3 and' 4 were again let to the same contractor, although" the first two sections were, after some five weeks' delay, hardly touched. We have no quarrel with Mr. Pearce —he, probably, is quite as able to construct the work as well'and as quickly as the other tenderers- —it is the principle the Provincial Government have adopted that we dislike: a principle that, if persisted in, will, in effect, very likely prevent the carrying out of the works, altogether. About forty miles of Bace and ten miles of. Sludge Channel have yet to be dealt with, and it is necessary that these contracts should be let to men who may be fairly expected to carry I ..out the work with spirit, and to recoup ] themselves for the money and labor they have to lay out. To support us in our opinion that delay in these public works may be destructive- of the whole scheme, we take the following from the < Hokitika Star:'—" The nre- " sent uncertainty which exists at head- " quarters with regard to the future of " the Government, is exercising a most " prejudicial effect in many directions, "and.in no place is this the case more " than in Westland, where the.uncer- " tainty of the tenure of office of'Min- " isters appears to have occasioned' a " sufficient amount of hesitation oh the " part of the Government in under- " taking the responsibility of authpris- " ing the construction of important " public works—to have acted in a man- " ner most detrimentally #b the County. " It is said, and with good show of rea- " son, that the Wairnea Water Eace 4t would have now been in the course of " construction, but for the critical posi- " tion of the Ministry for some time " past: and looking at the question '" from this point of view, we sincerely ■" hope that whatever Government may *" be in office, it will have sufficient *' stability to .enable it to carry out its " proper administrative functions, and " give practical effect to its decisions." The people must be true to themselves in the matter of these contracts. Mount Ida has never yet succeeded in getting anything without a great amount of dogged perseverance on the part of the residents. It will be Quixotic and suicidal for them, out of sentimental regard to the presumed interests of individual contractors, to let these works flag and be delayed without a very serious protest. For ouiv selves, it is our bounden duty to speak out; and while we shall be very glad to assist Mr. Pearce or other contractors to our utmost, in any and every attempt to fulfill his or their contracts, no consideration for his interests will prevent us from exposing any defects in the work executed, or in the. Government administration of the Public Works Scheme generally.

!Pbom: the time that men took from among them their strongest and called him a King, ruled bodies have always had the enjoyment of the power of conferring, to compensate them in some measure for the stripes they are sure to receive from the man or power they set up to rule over them. Today the burgesses of Mount Ida are called upon to elect the first Mayor of ISTaseby. Many look lipon the formation of a Municipality here with apprehension and dislike. It is not to be -concealed that the movement is one that, misdirected, may lead to positive injury. This, however, is no rational cause for holding aloof from what, well worked, is sure to be beneficial. All, especially those who are holders of property, should do their best, not to thwart, but to guide an engine for good or evil that, come what may, is no\7 inevitable.

The two candidates (Messrs. L. W. Busch and E. T. George) nominated for the office are both thoroughly wellknown and well-tried men. Bothalike have ever been forward in every movement that has been for the advancement of the town. Churches, Waterworks, Street Improvement, and Hospital all bear witness to the efforts made by theses gentlemen and a few

for the public benefit. The result of the poll to-day will not depend, .under these circumstances, so much on the superior fitness of; either candidate for the especial post of Mayor, as on the personal following each can bring with hiin. One danger in this is that party spirit may run high, and, if care is not taken, the license usually accorded to electioneering meetings may be exceeded, inflicting wounds and estrangements not' easily healed. No doubt each party will do its utmost to ensure success. Let this be done in the honest, ■ manly expression' of opinion, with joke, and good fellowship, and no sting will' remain in,the ranks of the defeated party to become prurient by after thought and hopes of retalia-. tion. Win who may, we wish a prosperous term of office to the first Mayor of Naseby, assuring him of our honest support in all endeavors made to further the real interests of the town.