The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1886.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4660, 14 July 1886, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1886.

VtWtt TVTr Ormond called the attention of Public Works to the fact that tenders have not been invited through Hawke's Bay newspapers for the construction of the Gorge railway yery few people in this part of the colony knew that tenders were wanted. A short advertisement on the subject occasionally appears in the Wellington papers, and as it only has an intermittent insertion it has the less chance of being seen. In reply to Mr Ormond the Blinister replied that the Government did not intend to advertise for tenders m Napier, nor forward hero copies of the plans Specifications of the work The reason for this parsimony ho stated was that the Government never received tenders for large works from Napier This reason would have been a very good one if it had happened to bo true, but from the present Ministry, when there is something spiteful to bo said of Napier, we do not oxpect truth. As it happens there is more than one firm in Napier that has been waiting for tenders to bo called for the Gorge line, and it was only by the merest accident that it was learned that the " contract was out. Now, perhaps, it does not so very much matter whether tenders are invited through tho Napior papers so long as other means are taken of giving the work publicity ; but it is of importance that plans and specifications can be scon here. The nearest plane, however, at which these can be examined is Woodville, and : intending contractors are necessarily compelled to go tfcere an 4 remain flntil Qaej

have mastered the details of the contract in order to work out the quantities. This entails a needless expense and waste of time that may, perhaps, indeed, prevent a contractor from tendering. But it seems to us that the Government do not want the people of Napier to have anything to do with this Gorge line, and to put as many obstacles in their -way as possible a very pretty little method has been adopted. Here it is :—By next March the Tahoraito extension, or the Tamaki contact as it is culled, will be finished; this line falls short of Woodville by a, couple of miles or so, and no tonders have been called for the completion of this gap. What is the obvious object of this oversight? We can only suppose that it is done with a view to compel contractors to obtain the whole of their requirements from Wellington. With the line from Napier falling short of Woodville, Wellington can put goods in at Woodville cheaper than can our merchants, but with the railway running from here into Woodville we could undersell Wellington. Why our line was not finished, as it well might have been by now, before tenders were called for the Manawatu Gorge, so that contractors would have had the advantage of railway communication with the source of supplies, no one can understand. Had this been done several thousands might have been saved the colony in the Manawatu contract.