WAITARA HARBOR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 August 1915, Page 7

WAITARA HARBOR BOARD.

To iille Editor. Sir, —I wislh (o draw attention to the extremely uiifa.ii 1 , if not illegal, method?: adopted' 'by the Board. lam led to'believe that about a year ago or so plans were submitted and tenders ealletl for certain renewals to the wharf, up to .about £SOO. A tender was accepted, but by some alleged understanding between t'lieji-outrai.'toiii and certain members tihe Contract was cancelled, the reason given being, according to tin: Press, that the concrete piles could not be driven. iN'ow, I know for a fact that a ■prominent Wellington contractor undertook to drive tlie piles down, exactly as shown on the plan, provided the Hoard increased tile contract to, say, CIOOO, to warrant bringing his plant and anon from south. The Hoard did not at that time fonteniplate an increased expenditure, and so the matter dropped. What do we now find? That work has been given to a man by day latbor, without plans and specifications or any binding conditions whatsoever, and. astonishing a.s it may seem, without any competition, and the amount i.-j stated in the Press as exceeding £IOOO. Yet another bad feature of the BoaixlVi administration is the fact that tlhe wharf is to be renewed in timber, when with the concrete, facilities in Waitara it couhl be built fo-r the same cost in imperishable materials, viz., ferro-con-crete, and T am told tlhat an open wharf design was one of the numerous plans submitted. I always understood that work involving public money over the value of £2O should be lot by public tender, but to give one man work to the value of between £3OOO and £-1000 is a gross injustice to myself and others. Things are not too brisk, and quite a nuinilier of good contractors would willingly enter into a healthy competition to secure this-work and see that it is promptly and thoroii!?lilv carried out.— I am, etc., " CONTRACTOR,