The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1914. A COUNTY CRISIS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 75, 19 March 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1914. A COUNTY CRISIS.

It is with regret we chronicle a somewhat sensational meeting of the Stratford County Council which, alter a protracted sitting, the latter portion of which was consumed in most heated discussion, culminated in the resignation of two members of the Council and the County Engineer. The immediate cause of the crisis was the recommendation of the Engineer that for better work and supervision the Foremen in the East Riding he re-

duced from tliree to one, and that all works outside maintenance be in future carried out by contract. Briefly, the proposal, so far as the contract work was concerned, was agreed to, but the suggestion for the reduction of Foremen .was strenuously opposed by the East Biding members, the other members of the Council unanimously supporting the Engineer’s recommen-

dations. This minority, doubtless chagrined with defeat, moved that the Engineer’s services be dispensed witli and that he be merely retained as Consulting Engineer, while one V' Foreman be appointed to supervise the whole County. On the defeat of this motion the East Biding members tendered their resignation ad left the Board room. Subsequently the Engineer’s resignation wns a? so tendered and accepted, Mr Robinson declining to withdraw. The position briefly is that the number of Foremen in the East Biding of the Stratford County, in the course of time, has increased from one to three; the original idea in making the change being that it would be a good departure for the County that men should he engaged

to do sectional work and that hotter results would thus he attained without so much time lost in travelling about. At this present time opinion is divided, but the majority view appears to favor the conclusion that experience lias not proved the new system to he as good as the old. In the first place there were three Foremen in the North Hiding; one in the I

East Hiding, and one in the West. They were actually working Foremen, and' while they had recognised duties they had no power to employ extra assistance without express permission. The position to-day appears to have so developed that the Foremen are now more supervisors than actual workers

uid, ill instances, seem to have employed labor as they may have deemed requisite without the Council being lirst consulted as to the cxti a men to be employed. As a consequence of this departure, a difficulty has; arisen, and latterly the Council lias never known what the wages bill tor roadmen and the general work of the County would amount to at its next meeting. At present there is only available about £5400 to meet all the demands of the Stratford Count} until the current rates conic in—a fairly lengthy period to look forward to. To keep within the law as regards County finance, the Council is compelled to take stops of some sort to decrease expenditure. It is. of course, most unfortunate, but in apparent over zeal to give the settlers good roads, the Council Ims seriously overstepped the line, and while like many other local bodies in a new country the County has always been in more or less financial difficulties, just now it is worse off financially than ever it has been. But the question is one of not having the money to spend, and, as the Chau man lias for some time past endeavored to impress on the Council, it has become necessary to retrench in some drastic form, reduction of staff being one of the means decided upon. Kightly oi wrongly the members for the East Hiding' (.Messrs. W. Were and E. Walter) took an exceptionally strong stand, and possibly without the most careful consideration and in the heat of the moment, on learning the nature of the Engineer’s report, opposed it with undue force, further taking the unwise step of moving that tho services of the Engineer (Mr E. C. Robinson) except as the Consulting Engineer as might be required, be dispensed with. As the Chaitman pointed out, this was most precipitate, for the Engineer had never been approached in any way as to whether he would consent to become the Consulting Engineer for the County, and it would lie a very difficult matter to obtain another Engineer whose services would be anything like so valuable to the Stratford County, Mr Robinson having had a most lengthy experience of every corner of this district, and possessing as he does the widest knowledge of tho nature or the country, the roads or which are admittedly, from climatic reasons, most difficult to maintain. We certainly regret that as a further result of the action of Messrs Were and Walter the Engineer thought fit to hand in his resignation. Other members of the Council, realising to some extent the serious nature of the position, endeavored to prevail with the Engineer to alter his decision but unavailing!}’. The incident is to be regretted, but it has at least brougm very forcibly before the notice of the ratepayers the fact that it is. impossible to concede to all their demands;

nay, even to provide for many real requirements, until there is discovered some source from which flows sufficient revenue to cover a normal expenditure on necessary work. Possibly—but we sincerely hope it may not happen even the oft-discussed reversion to barbarism and toll-gates may be the only solution of the difficult problem Referring for one moment to the County Foremen under discussion, let it in fairness be stated that the men. as a whole, are probably quite the equal of any men in similar elsewhere,' and the money cxpendec under their direction may have been well spent. It is largely a question of ways and means. Wo understand that this morning the Chairman, M; W. Hathaway, fully seized with tm seriousness of the financial outlook lias lodged a notice of motion for next meeting of the Council to the effect that no liabilities shall he incurred under any circumstances exceeding in the aggregate the total sum of from £6OO to £7OO per month until such time as less stringent conditions of the County funds are happily apparent. Last winter the Council’s lowest monthly payment was £9OO. County ratepayers may therefore expect little work on their roads in the coming winter; however desirous the Council may be of undertaking work both desirable and necessary, it simply cannot do it foi want of money. We are learning a little ol the bitter lesson of retrenchment.