OTAGO CENTRAL.

Bruce Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 1760, 22 June 1886, Page 3

OTAGO CENTRAL.

A meeting of the Otago members was held yesterday, to consider the reply of the Premier to the deputation that waited on him some time ago to urge the speedy construction of this line. The reply was to the effect that instructions had been given to call for tenders with a view to pushing on the work vigorously, and that the Government expected the line would be made to the Taieri lake in three years' time. As this will cost £300,000, and as the amount proposed to be borrowed for this line is only £200,000, the deputation didn't quite |see how the Taieri lake was io be reached. During the disenssion that took place, some very curious facts were brought out in connection with the work done by the unemployed. Up to the 31st March last, £624.800 had been voted for this work, of which ouly £191,264 had been spent. £7264 of the latter sum went for surveys, bo that only £184,000 had been ex pended on work. Of this sum about £100,000 went to the regular contractors, and the other £84,000 was either paid to the " unemployed," or otherwise spent in some way not explained. The value of the " unemployed " work was tested with very remarkable results. A section in which a number of " unemployed " had been working for a long time, was let to a contractor who had to take over at valuation the work thus don«. The valuators put the value of the work at £200 ; the sum paid in cash for it to the " unemployed " was £15,000.