GANG SYSTEM V DAY LABOUR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 5 March 1909, Page 1

GANG SYSTEM V DAY LABOUR.

THE WANGAMOA EXPEEIMENT. EEPORT BY THE COUNTY ENQINEES. The Engineer presented the following special report on the comparative cost of the gang system and day labour in Wangamoa Biding: — Is is impossiDle to maKe any com-pai-ison of tho actual amount? of work done undor the separate systems, but flip results can be fairly judged by ilip state of tlip road. There is not the .-lightest doubt that tho main load was fast degenerating under the f.n-mor tiny work system and that uiiP yf-ar's wnrk nndc-r the present iiH-iliOfl bids fair 1o put the road inio n innoh liPtttr roudition than it has liiV-n in tho fivp yonra previous. Tin 1 ex]ii--ii(]iiurp mi the main road 1904 to 100S was as under: —

The road giants were: 1906: £40 13s 6d; 1907, £150; 190S, £191 10s 6d; total, £382 4s. Average, £76 9s. Average of the County revenue and grants expended on maintenance, excluding bridges, £5837 7s per annum. I Expenditure under gang S3"stem for year endiDg February, 1909— County' revenue, £363 los 6d; grant, £125 Os Average total under labour, £583 7s lOd. Average total under gang, £488 lus Bd. C'r. Gill maintained that the road was now 100 per cent better than it had been for tho past ten. y.earsi There had been a saving ofSneairiy £100 a year under the gang '.syjstem, and he believed that next year 'twere would be a further saving of £75 to £100. O. Everett said that there were 30 mile-' of main road in the 'Wangamoa Riding-, and the expenditure had been £1G a mile. But the Council could not afford to spend £16 a mile on the main roads throughout the. County. The gang system had undoubtedly been extremely beneficial in tlie Wangamoa Kiding. The gang system might with advantage be applied to other parts of the County. During the past year not a single complaint hart been received in refrrence.to tha Wangamoa roads. The giing system should be applied in the Mini tern. Motueka, and Waimoa. f'r. Maeinahon wouM support the fpuig system thougti Vi<> ngreed -with (i. Kvf-r.'it i hat it could not be inti uliiood all ovor the County. i f'r. Honlt oould not see that tho j Rang system had been sneh a b.ifi | saving, spoing the amount rb,&t had hpen spent on the Wa,n.gamoa road beft.iv the gang system was introduced. *'r. Duimmond approved of the gang system and thought that a modified gang system could be i\J\j\J«Mi evon to the outlying riijiaga. The i day labour system flia not appear to him to be satisfactory. i Cr. Hewetson, wliito supporting the gang system for some parts, did. not think it could be mad.c, general throughout the county The Chairman ageeed that Jhejg'ang j system had boon a great success: in ; Whngamoa and that it should.- bp j adopted in other parts of the County. ' I Champion, and Neale. , i i

00OOOU5 r* t> I 'd HHOSM CO eS -^ .-. t-t t2 eft t- «o *N © sa^i 00OPN OO _s s '~"~' ,t E raoiM imoi Sa 06C.0 rr«> S. ooui oo a . . «"oo -*ta> O 1 * 00~ oj to •** c_s cs ag t--6 a £ scooon ceo ; JS h^m_o -p»p oo « — — "•-i **■-< >, »_.»»■* ■* to -£ ->iOtOlTst» BJO C ->k r- *j* o poiq 3 PM O SJ i o i 2 «s to c- 00 !& p o = 000 SP t-Mrprin <£