TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 50, 2 October 1880, Page 4

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Sib, — Having recently seen a letter in the Star, signed "Katipo," point- 1 ing out the proper course to pursue to pave the way for a new county, it will not surprise anyone to learn that " Katipo" is a road board contractor. A contractor stated within my hearing (inadventually, I should presume) that he wished there were no road boards, for if the whole of the roads were under the control of one engineer, any contractor who understood contract work could make, at the least, from two to four shillings per chain more money, at almost any road work, especially in a, new district* than he could under a road board, as the road boards generally appointed one or more members, besides their engineer, to look after works in progress — to say nothing of the risk of any member of the board coming along, which is a perfect nusiance. Even if they say nothing they see how the work is being carried on, and should the contractor be trying to make the contract pay him as well as possible — i.e. by doing as little honest work as he can scheme out of — it is very likely, should the same men be elected several consecutive times, that contractor would stand no show for another job, should thqre be any competition ; but on the othsr hand, were the roads under the control of one person, a contractor with |ny " savey " at all could always make *. thing. The inference to be gathe^d from the above is that one person cotjjd^ not possibly attend at works in the vftßgus parts of the district more than Qitffc or twice a month, thereby giving t*^ dishonest contractor the desired opportunity to rob the ratepayers. In the same letter, or, more correjgftv speaking, the contractor who wrojp,tnat letter, wished to lead the pubM to believe that, owing to a penalty of £B being part of the specifications, it had reduced competi-

tion, and increased the amount of the tenders, thereby causing a loss to the ratepayers. How it really worked out was as follows : — With the £5 penalty four tenders were received, viz., from under 4s, 6s sd, 6s lid, and 8s 6d per chain. When the penalty was reduced to 10s, two tenders only were received, viz., at 5s 4d arid 6s lOd per chain ; although, to my knowledge, the four persons that tendered the first time knew that the time was extended for the same work at the reduced penalty, to say nothing about any other persons that may have been on the look out for contracts in the advertising columns of the Stab. The above facts will show the public the value of " Katipo V writings. — I am, &c, Observer.

Sept. 25, 1880.