POVERTY BAY & OPOTIKI ROAD.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 195, 12 August 1874, Page 2

POVERTY BAY & OPOTIKI ROAD.

From Hansard,.

Mb. W. Kelly asked the Minister for Public Works, what, has been the cause of delay in constructing the line of road between Poverty Bay and Opotiki; and when it is intended to have the road open for traffic ? The contract for the construct ion of this road was first taken in 1872, and the work was to have been completed in six or eight months; yet here we are in 1874, and there still seemed not to be the slightest chance of its being finished. He belived there were some eight or ten miles in the centre of the line which had still to be formed, and he had been given to understand that it would take six or eight months to complete it. He believed that certain restrictions bad been placed upon the contractors who had undertaken the work. They were to employ no labour but native labour, and they found it impossible to get any, except at a very .high rate of wages. In fact, the natives asked as much for half the work as the contractors were to receive for the whole. Since then, the contractors had come to an understanding with the Government, by which they were allowed to employ European labour; but wages generally had so greatly increased, that it was very doubtful wether they would be able to carry out their contract unless they obtained assistance from the Government. He knew, himself, that the contractors had used every effort to complete the work, and he would recommend the Government to take it over themselves, or come to some understanding with the contractors, so as to get the road through with as little delay as possible. Mr. Richardson, in reply, said that the honorable gentleman had given pretty nearly all the information which could be afforded to the House on the subject. When the contract was let by the Government, it was considered necessAry that the work should be done by natives, us there were many in the district who could be got to work. Subsequently it was agreed that the restriction should be taken away, and that European labour might bo used. He was sorry to hear the expression of opinion given by the honorable gentleman as to what had been done by the contractors, and entirely differed from the honorable member in that opinion. He hoped, however, that matters would be settled satisfactorily, although such expressions of opinion in the House were not conducive to such a result, or likely to be of benefit to the country. No doubt, it would take as long as stated by the honorable member, to finish the work, but he trusted that the present contractors Would yet be persuaded to complete the work satisfactorily. -