THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 9, 30 April 1877, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

It is a matter of very great regret that any want of agreement should have arisen at the present juncture between the County Council and its Engineer, Mr Butler. What is the position of affairs aa regards the public works of the County at the present time ? The maintenance contracts nxpired on the 31st of March last, but in consequence of the contractors not having been formally relieved from their obligations at the proper time, there is a possibility that the Council may become involved in litigation, The Council has been put to the expense of something like£6Q for travelling expenses iDcurrati in collecting data from whiolfrio frame specifications of futuce contracts, and notwithstanding... the. lime which Itaa elapsed nothing* seems to have yet been done towards providing for the future repairs of the'roads. The survey of the unformed portion of the Grey road has not yet been com* menced, and even if commenced at once there is little chance that a detailed survey could be prepared and tender be accepted for the work within a month or six weeks from, date. The same lapse of time will probably be" required to prepare specifications and accept tenders for maintenance contracts ; and in the meantime the roads are becoming daily more diffiottlLpf traffic, "" It seems plain that ultttar the present position of affairs thelKmncil or the Road Board has now no alter* native but to place day laborers upon the roads. We fear the experiment will prove a ruinous one to the County, but there seema no escape from it for a time at least. We are now entering upon the wet season, and unless the roads are attended to at once, nof all the resources of the County will be sufficient to restore them for the remainder of the current financial year. We do not know that either the Council or its officers are very much to blame for the difficulty which has arisen, for, after all, the whole of the work could hardly have been prepared in time, except upon the rushing system, which is at best but a dangerous one. Matters have, however, now been brought to that pass when instant action is all important and imperative, and we therefore trust that at the meeting of the Board to be held to«day some decisive action will be taken. ! ■ : ; '