The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, November 26, 1887. ROAD MAINTENANCE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 72, 26 November 1887, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, November 26, 1887. ROAD MAINTENANCE.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at ba thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth's.

The principle affirmed by the County Council at their last meeting that the roads throughout the County should be maintained by contract instead of by day labour is a bad one, and one that can never be satisfactorily given effect to. How is it possible for a contractor to tender for the maintenance of roads when he can have no idea of what work is required of him ? During six months the part of the road he would have to keep in repair would, perhaps, require only twenty loads of gravel, and the next day it might be necessary to do work to the amount of hundreds of pounds. It would be very short-sighted policy for the Council to adopt the principle they have affirmed, for it must be apparent on the face of it that a tenderer would have to make a large allowance for contingencies. On the other hand day labour could be employed by the Engineer when necessary, and we have it from good authority that this would be far and away the best and the cheapest way to have roads kept in repair. The idea appears to be that small “ Cockatoo ” holders would tender at a cheap rate for the work, employing their shepherds or men to do what was necessary. This is another blow at the working man, and is only in accord with Cr King’s former actions. He it was that brought forward the suggestion, remarking at the same time that it would do away with paying day labourers. We were surprised tp see Cr Twohey back him up in his contention, as this seems to prove that working men themselves will use their best endeavours to oppress their own class. Cr Twohey said, if the principle were adopted, men would probably work for less than seven shillings a day, and this is quite sufficient to show what the working man may expect when such arguments are used. We are convinced that if the views of the Engineer were taken on the question he would emphatically give it as his opinion that the Council were wrong in countenancing any such I proposal.