ROAD REPAIRS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23011, 12 April 1938, Page 16

ROAD REPAIRS

WHANGAREI COUNTY DIFFICULTIES OF COUNCIL TRUCK AND LABOUR SHORTAGE [from our own correspondent] WHANGAREI, Monday "The council may be criticised for building up such a large credit in the riding accounts and yet allowing the roads to deteriorate through lack of maintenance," said the chairman of the Whangarei County Council, Mr. J. A. S. MacKay, when commenting on the fact that the council had ended the year with a credit balance in the riding accounts of £0523, this being £3993 higher than last year. "The roads are generally not up to the standard of last year," added Mr. MacKay. "The ratepayers have provided funds to keep the roads in order, but they have not been expended by the council. Every endeavour has been made to have necessary work in the ridings carried out, but it is not possible to get either labour or trucks. The roads are getting into a bad state of repair, and the ratepayers are losing the asset they havo in these roads. "It has not been possible to lift some Government grants on account of the lack of contractors, while jobs have been let to contractors over a year ago, and have not yet been completed," said Mr. MacKay. "The council will have to formulate a plan to get over the difficulty of the lack of labour and trucks. "The surplus would have been expended if labour had been available. As it is the council will be faced with the position of £14,700 worth of work, now in the hands of contractors, being uncompleted when the weather breaks. Then the work would have to stay over until next year, and if the same conditions apply then, there will probably be a greater hold-over to the following year." In his report to the council the engineer, Mr. J. Norris, stated that owing to the lack of contractors he was experiencing difficulty in carrying on with the necessary work. Great difficulty was being experienced in getting contractors to complete works to the specifications. The only remedy was for the council to hold payments back from the contractor until the work was satisfactory.