OVERSEER OR ENGINEER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 28, 25 May 1914, Page 8

OVERSEER OR ENGINEER.

FOR STRATFORD COUNTY. ALTERNATIVE APPLICATIONS, The question of supervision of work was considered at fcho special meeting oi the County Council on Saturday morning. The chairman said the Council hud to decide*whether their work would he •supervised by an engineer or an overseer. If it was an overseer lie must be a thoroughly experienced man, who should be a hie to tell when he was getting a good day's work. If it was an engineer he must he fully prepared to deal with reinstatement of roads. Personally, he favored an overseer. Cr. Thomson said the South Riding did not desire all? change as far as they were concerned. One thing he objected to ttbout having an overseer was the engineer's commission, which had caused" so much trouble in the Dast. Early last season it was tacitly understood that the. Riding members and the foremen were* to go over fcht> roads and present a statement showing how much metal would be required for each road. This had not been clone. md every now and again the Council .vas called upon without notice to find a few hhundred yards of metal for a road. As things stood the surfacemen practically made the roads. Some part of the trouble arose from .day labor. Day labor hail been instituted jeeiuise contractors hud in the past put in too big prices. Money had jeen saved on many works, hut the system seemed to have, outlived its •.leefulhess. Civ Smith said Mr Robinson had been a capable officer of the Council, and Mr Robinson would take it as a •light if applications wc.-o called for m

oiigmcpf. The Chairman: 1 don't think he will iook at it in that wa,y. Cr. Smithh said his opinion was that .in overseer would be best for the Council. Cr. Thomson made a personal explanation. Tie said lie had nothing against 3dr Robinson. Cr. Walter said lie favored an over:eer. He did not think a good engineer co'uid be pormanetly retained at C. 150 a year. An engineer would be inclined to take ■ interest in the bigger ■works and would be disinclined to aiparvise the small details of the County's" work. On the other hand, a:> overseer, a man of less qualifications. would be. content with the salary the Council could pay, and his training would fit him for the supervision ol detail work. As to engineer's commission, the County was doing ver\ 'ittle new work' —there was practical ;•,•' nil. Mr Robinson, he was suro, would do Cue County's work well. <l the Council got a new engineer he would either be a very young man or i very old man. Cr. Chris toff el said that when a bridge was to be inspected or a deviation planned the services of an engineer would be necessary. He thought ihafc at every meeting matters would 'irise which would have to be referred to an engineer and the commission .vould be a big item. He saw no reason why applications should not be ailed for both an engineer and an overseer. Cr. Walter said an engineer who was secured might be very young. Mr Robinson had come to the Council as, a young man and had stayed for nearly ten years. However, he ((.'v. Christoffel) had an open mind on tin question as between an engineer and

an overseer. Cr. Young also favored calling fo >!)i,li. When all the applications vrer; received the Council could see whc bher the best man they could get wa in overseer or an engineer. Cr. Were said he favored an over ;eer. He was not satisfied, and tlr •atepayers wore nob satisfied wit'l supervision of the work in the past. Cr. Rogers said the man appointee' dioulcl lie capable of laying off roads. The chairman: What would you cai' limP Cr. Rogers : Overseer or engineer. Cr. Anderson saw no reason wh, dtei native applications should not ''<• ■ailed. Mis feeling was that the Conn il should pay the hest salary and ge lie hest value for its money. Ho dit 1 uit believe in the commission systen' -every person working for the Conn i! should lie on a salary. In the casi .1' remuneration by commission ther. ,(:!■; always a temptation on the par: -.1 the engineer to increase the, cos, >f (he work in order to increase th; ominission earned. The chairman »said he would vot< or the best man, whether he was cr. dneer or overseer. He very time' louhted whether » good engineer couh >e got to stay with the Council fo: 025 U or £iOU per annum. Cr. Thomson said that a great num W of engineers applied for the Pater excepting the bridges, the bulk of tin imong them, so that the Council nee' have no fear as to the qualii'u'atious o ,he men who would apply. The chairman said that after fie new bridges were erected on the Stan ley Road and Mountain Mosul then would be very little engineering worl required. Small bridges could easilv he looked lo by an overseer. Cr. Thomson moved I hat separat. implications be ''idled for an engineer and an overseer, applications t< close at next meeting. Cr. Christotfel said he would vol:. for the motion, hut lie would keep hi: mind open as lo whether he linalls voted for an overseer or an engineer Councillors generally said that war the position of the whole of them. The chairman said that at present execptin gtho bridges, the hulk of tin County's work was maintenance work After som." discussion it was settle< (hat Cr. Smith's motion on the matt,a at last meeting had not been pass ed, hut hml been held over. Cr Thorn pnn's motion was therefore held to ! >; an amendment thereto. Cr. Smith'

motion was for the calling of applications for the position of overseer On being put to the meeting toe amendment was carried by live votes to four, the noes being Crs. Smith. Wore, Walter am! Hathaway. The salaries attached to the positions were: Overseer £250, engineer £3OO.