THE TAPUAE TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81899, 6 December 1906, Page 2

THE TAPUAE TROUBLE.

VENTILATED ONCE MORE. The expectancy which perva tied tne County Council meeting on Monday was dispel.ed by the arrival ot tlie "Tapuae" deputation. Tne members of it weie Messrs J. J. Elwin, I'. j. Morris and G. W. Maikuani, who were armed with the autnoiity of the ratepayers' meeting held at Oaktira a tew nights ago. Mr J.J. Elwiu was the sp-kesnian, and entered on business straight away. Ho said there was ve'y general dissatisfaction amongst tae ratepayers' concerning the. way in which Die Tapuae contracts weie going on. 'file wPiks sliou.d liave been finished twe.vc mouths ago, but there seemed now, is little piospect .of completion as there had been a year back. Tne travelling pub.ic were being inconvenienced, and there was a "large amount of talk" amongst people who seemed anxious to fasten the blame on someone, either the Engineer, the contractor, the councillors, or the Council as a whole. Now, could the Council say if the contract had been earned oh as originally intended, or cou d they say if the work would be a success when, if ever, completed. There was a feeling in the country that the whole work was not well conceived in the first instance. Mr Elwin read a lengthy catechism which, he stated, put the- dissatisfaction of the ratepayers in a nutshell. Cr. Stevens; A pretty big nut. Messrs Wai'eham' and Morris also spoke.

The engineer said that the contract was being proceeded with according to the original pegs, Mr Morris thought otherwise, and complained that all his flat land was being taken. It was a, most unrea-' .sonablo thing. He had hat! a verbal agreement with Mr Okey that he would be dealt with fairly.

The Chairman: There were too many of those verbal agreements. Mr Wareiiam said the ratepayers were fearful of another wash-out, and another wash-out must take the Tapuaie bridge. Mr Skinner, the engineer, stated that the Taptiae deviation was undertaken by the previous Council in preference to a bigger scheme in order to save money. 'The Coundi had taken tile risk—a sporting risk—but things would tuiii out alright. The work should have been competed long ago. Councilors decided that they were not bound" to answer the long string of questions submitted, and the deputation would be informed that the Council is taking steps to complete the contracts as soon a possible.