Page 7 Advertisements Column 8

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18899, 27 June 1923, Page 7

THE MAIN SOUTH ROAD. TO THE EDITOB. Sin,—Our worthy Mayor and a few others are interesting themselves at the present time in having a new Town Hall built to entertain our oversea visitors, etc., and are asking the ratepayers to vote for a loan of £90,000 for the purpose. Now, I think if the Mayor would only take a ride on a push bicycle over most of our roads outside the town, he would find quite a lot to do with £90,000 in making them fit to ride on to and from work. I do not think, if you travelled anywhere in New Zealand, that you would find a main road in such a bad state as the South road through Caversham is at the present time. I for one think that the ratepayers should come first in having good roads to and from work, as it is by them that the pot is kept boiling. Then, again, is it not better to wait until we get an up-to-date system to keep out town nice and clean? Just take a stroll through town on a Sunday morning and see all the rubbish lying about. In no other centre in New Zealand would you see such a state of things.— I am, etc., Ratepateb. STORM WATER CONSTRUCTION WORKS. TO THE EDITOB, Sib, —In connection with the necessity of Dunedin having practical command over storm water, a suggestion from past and present experience is badly required. If any person with practical knowledge will go the rounds during a flood period, he will without theoretical ability come to the conclusion that men of ability axe required for the work. Any fool can do any ordinary road construction work, but he cannot do drainage construction work, which is the fulcrum of all city work. Take the flats of South Dunedin in Mr Noble Anderson’s time and also in Mr A. Slinger’s time. The men did double the work ana only got the handsome sum of Is per hour, while the City Corporation men received KUd per hour—a difference of Is per day extra for drainage work. The members of the Drainage Board tried to reduce the drainage workers’ wages to the same level as those of the corporation men, 7a a day. All hands chucked their gum boots and shovels at the chief inspector, with the result that the men still received their 8s per day for two years. Afterwards they formed a union under the Arbitration Act and their wage was increased to 12s 8d per day. It is “up to” the present-day workers to lift their hats to the men on the drainage works for forming a union. I know that both Messrs Anderson and Slinger appreciated the men’s hazardous work on’ the flat of Dunedin. I would like to see a federation of the men working on sewerage works with the licensed drainers as is the case in Ballarat, in Victoria, but by all moans under the Arbitration Act, and non-political.—l am, eto.. ONLX A Navvy, ; January 25.