FOXTON ROAD TO PROCEED.

Shannon News, 16 April 1929, Page 3

FOXTON ROAD TO PROCEED.

IMMEDIATE FORMATION OF THREE MILES BY DAY LABOUR.

PLANS FOR'FURTHER- SECTION

UNDER WAY

An important move was decided on at the meeing of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday, when the Engineer - (Air Brewster) reported. “Plalis of three miles of the LcvinFoxton road have been approved by tliO Mai-x Highways Board, and work may proceed on this section as soon as the Council is ready to start. The Works Committee recommended that tenders be called for the formation of the first three miles of tens road—part of No. 1 Highway—from Oxford Street North. . t Cr. Catley said he had moved in the Committe that. tendei-3 be called, but he had made it plain tlfat he would not uress that method of doing the work* when the matter came before the Council. He had simply desired the recommendation to be put before the Council in this form so that the meeting could discuss whether the work was to be douo by. day labour or contract. The Engineer had informed the Comhiittee that he would like it done by day labour for two reasons. One of these was that it would keep emploved the men he had already got together.’ The other reas'on was that it would save delay. Calling for tenders would mean three weeks’ delay. The speaker had thought the matter over, arid he considered that the Council should not wait a minute more than was necessary. He Would like to see a good piece of the work in hand as soon as possible. He asked if there ivas any prospect of the three-mile section being relieved of maintenance cost this coming season. ■ The Engineer replied that it would be relieved in part. ' Cr. Gimblctt said he. would like the Engineer to- give some idea of how ha would have the work carried out. The speaker agreed that there should be no delay; if the Engineer had the men, ho should go ahead. The Engineer announced! that he would go straight on with the work in the Ensuing ■week if it was to be done by day labour. The paving at Tokomaru was finished on -Thursday, and ten men were available to go on with the other work. If, on the other hand, the Council adopted the contract system, it would hdve to advertise over a period of three weeks. , ;Cr. Kilsby agreed that the workmen should be held together as much as possible; if they were a good gang, they would carry out the job quite satisfactorily. The Engineer had informed the Committee that it would not be long-before the plans for a further twio or three miles would be ready to send away. That would provide for quite a considerable portion of the road. The most difficult, portion o£ the early work would be between Levin and Heatherlea; beyond that it was not so bad. It might pay to have the firstportion pushed on with and to call tenders for the piece from Heatherlea onwards, most of which would only require shoulders and consolidating metal prior to the penetration course. He wanted to see as .much under construction as possible in the eomiug paving sea3on. If the season was a good one, they should get seven or eight miles of that road completed. ' “On behalf of the Works Committee,"” said its Chairman, Cr. Ryder, “I may say that the Engineer put this view before us the other day, and I ■ think that all hands will agree that we have a particularly interested set of men in connection with the bitumen operations, and we cannot expect to have them at our beck and call unless we keep them employed. I like to sec some woik done by contract, as Cr. Kilsby says, and I suggest that when plans are ready we might call tenders, but by all means keep our. bitumen gang going—that is why it is recommended that a poition be put in hand at once.”

The Chairman (Mr Monk) said ho was strongly of opinion that it would be unwise to call for tenders for this particular piece of road. It would be three weeks before tenders, were received, and it would not be reasonable •to ask a contractor to start in less than 28 days from the acceptance of a tender; the Council, therefore, might lose two at three months before a Jdow was struck, They had a good many men who had been employed during the past year on paving and metalling, and the Council would require those trained men to carry on similar work next summer; it was for the Council to retain those men if possible. They had had to work at both ends of the comity, and if the Council took the course of Jetting by contract the only job that waj near home, they weie not playing the game towards those men. It Was the Engineer who had to see the work carried out within the estimate,' and it it was his desire to have it done by day labour, the Council should accede to it. Eerbany further work the chairman agreed that the Cornell should get it done at the lowest cost, and if it was the desire of the Council to call tenders for it, that should be done; but he was.not going to say that by calling tenders they were going to get it done more cheaply than by day labour—it did not always follow. He was not against tendering, because it bred independence and encouraged a man to do a little more to make a little more. The. chairman then moved that the Committee’s iecommendaticn be deleted, and that m place thereof the Council authorise the Engineer to proceed with the formation of the "first three miles by day labour.

The motion was seconded by Cr. Ryder, and' carried. Cr. Girablett, to the Engineer: When are you turning the first sod? We

might have a bottle of .wine. (Laughter). The Engineer: it will be done very quietly. Cr. Kilsby asked if the Engineerhad any idea how long the formation of the three miles was likely to take; and Mr Brewster replied, “Prac-tically the whole of the Winter.’’