COUNTY CASUAL LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 9 May 1907, Page 4

COUNTY CASUAL LABOR.

At the instance of Cr. Adlain, a return was laid on the Tarauaki County | Council table on Monday showing the cost of casual labor employed by the respective foremen in iho various ridings in the year ending March last. In the Moa riding, foreman .lows, with 12 miles of road under his super - |vision (Mountain road from Inglewood j borough to Waipuku river, Tarilii road Ratapikb to Mountain road) employed labor at a cost of Ci»B is, including exIpeiiditure in tilling and metalling at il'iaknu and Maketebinau bridge*, (four |months of this was under foreman Lord). Tli" average cost per mourn was C 8 3s !hl. foreman Iteiinet, with 15 miles of road (Junction road East from Inglewood to Waitara river, and Tariki road from Junction road west-' wards to Katapiko). co>t the Council .172 Ss Hid, or CO Oh 10J per nth. foreman Walker, 1-1 >/„ miles (Junction road .from New Plymouth to Inglewood, aud the .Mountain road from Inglewood to Waiongona river), total cost C-13 13s lid. average cost per month ,C 3 12* JIM. Waitara riding.—foreman Holmes, 17 miles (Devon ivad, New I'iyiuoulh, to Waitara, Mountain road to Waiongona river, Richmond and Manuiiihi roads) spent .Clili lis lid, an average of .Co 10s Oma.a riding.—Foreman Kvetls,ll miles (South road from New I'iyinoutli to Oakum dairy faclury, and the Breakwater road) expended .C 2711 Us 3d, from which must be deducted Cl3l las 3d for extraordinary metalling at 'Tapuae. leaving ,cl 4-1 lis, an average cost of Cl2 0s lid per month. •'lt was deemed advisable," says the report, to "include Foreman Moore's cost, as he, was not in the employ of the Council for one year and his length seems, according to the new foreman's report, to have been considerably neglected, hence, a comparison of the relative cost would be uufair." The minimum cost of extra labor per month was obtained by Foreman Walker at .CJ 12s lOd, and the maximum by Foreman Evetts at .€l2 Us lid'per month. The average eo*t over the whole county was

.C 7 Is Sd. Cr. George commented on what he termed the excessive cost of labor in the Omata riding aud moved that Foreman Evetts be written to for an explanation and that he be requested to cut down this expense. Cr. Tate said the South road had to carry exceptional trallic. Gr. George said the charges were ridiculous for nine miles of road. Ho did not dare for extraordinary trallic injr v anything else. Cr. Allium seconded pro forma in order to suggest that the clerk write to the .foremen requesting thein to strictly adhere to the Council's rule that no casual labor can bo employed without reference to one of the members for the ridin". This course was adopted, and Cr. George's motion withdrawn.