Arrowtown : April 9, 1896.

Lake County Press, Issue 703, 9 April 1896, Page 2

Arrowtown : April 9, 1896.

It is a fact that the subject of how to maintain the public highways in Lake County to the best advantage has Vieen one of considerable importance to those who at present have control of the County’s exchequer and to the public generally for some considerable time past. As. to the merits of the two systems,

Bead Maintenance in Lake County.

day labor versus contract, we have always declared in favor of the former as against the latter, and recent discussions amongst councillors themselves have only served to strengthen our opinions in the same direction. The only cause for wonderment is that, after a lengthened trial, there is still a majority of councillors in favor of the contract system ; at least, it was decided upon the easting voto of the Chairman to continue the contract system, and call for tenders for the various sections at the meeting before last. Whether the Chairman’s action was altogether wise in giving a casting vote on** way or the other is open to question, but certain it is that the outcome has not been satisfactory so far. After putting a number of working men to the trouble of tenderings and possibly, in some cases, incurring considerable expense, it was decided in several instances not to accept any tender at all, while in some other cases where tenders were accepted it is pretfv certain that the successful ones have certaifily made a had bargain,, and will not be able to time and attention to the various roads which thev are supposed to keep in order for the small amount of money contracted for. This means one of three things, viz., the reads will be neglected, and allowed to fall into disrepair; there will bn trouble between the contractors and Engineer, or the former will carry out the work faithfully at a considerable loss to themselves, either of which, we feel assured, every ratepayer in Lake County is anxious to avoid. Tltere are many objections to the contract system for roads such as those in Lake County, especially our mountain tracks, and the following are some of them:—(l). The inability of the contractor to overtake the work at the break-up of winter, and during the wet and bad season of the year, and in most instances his disinclination to hire a number of men to put the road in repair quickly if he can avoid it, preferring to make the wofk extend over weeks instead of days, so that he can do the work himself and receive his full contract money, the travelling public being the sufferers thereby; (2) the contractor bases his calculation upon the belief that he will do all the work himself, ignoring, the fact that at times half-a-dozen men are required at once, and, for some, months of the year there is little or no necessity for a man on the section at all. If the season is a 6pe one, the contractor is all right and •gets the benefit, but if heavy slips occur from what are termed unforeseen circumstances, then the Council is expected to come to the rescue and assist him out of his difficulties by putting on a man or two to help tojopen the road for traffic at once; (3) the time that the roads are let for (viz., three years) is too long for one man to have control of the work. It is, in a small way, a monopoly, and unless, in*si;,ch cases as stated above, very few men other than the contractors, stand a chance of receiving a day’s pay out of the County funds. In favor of day labor vve would urge that men be put on and off the various roads as occasion demands, and in numbers when and where required, so as to meet the urgent necessities of the travelling public, where unforeseen circumstances too frequently render immediate action necessary. There are always men anxious and willing to earn a day’s pay, and we believe a return to the old plan of maintaining the roads and tracks in Lake County by day labor would give most general satisfaction.