BOROUGH CONTRACTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 392, 2 September 1911, Page 5

BOROUGH CONTRACTS.

The action of the Borough Council in adopting the recommendation of the Works Committee to the effect that in future all Borough Works be ,carried out by contract has drawn a letter from a correspondent which we publish in another column, and to which twe direct the attention of ratepayers. Sn our opinion the decision to dismiss the Borough workmen and rely absolutely upon tenders from contractors will have a prejudical effect upon the cost of carrying out the various works, .and takes out of the hand of the Borough Council the only weapon with •which they can protect the ratepayers against exorbitant demands. It will be remembered that the sole reasun ; for adopting the system of day labour

by last year's Council vvas that the

i tenders submitted \Vere hundreds of | pounds in excess of the engineer's estimates, and experience has subsequently proved that many of the works have apparently beer, efficiently done at a cost not in excess of the original estimates. To adopt a resolution determining that no work shall be done by the Borough workmen mear)3 that whatever contractors care to tender at wiil have to be accepted, and may possibly involve the ratepayers in heavy extra expenses. It is argued, of course, that when day labour is employed no estimates are prepared, but that is a detail which might very well be got over. What the average ratepayer asks himself is : Are we getting economical results. And if either one system or the other gives that it is immaterial what the name is so long as the economies are there.