OLLA PODRIDA.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXI, Issue 2728, 7 December 1910, Page 3

OLLA PODRIDA.

[Contributed by B.A.C.]

Judging by the actions of the Ohinemuri County Council at its meeting last week, the members of that body evidently mean to have business conducted

in a business-like up-to-date manner in future. After the contractors have for so many years past been used to having the lowest tender for a contract accepted, even if it was a hundred per cent above

the estimate, it must ha^e come as a bit of a shock to them to have all but two tenders declined on the ground that the prices asked were too high. But, surely it is only business for a man or a body of men to refuse to accept a tender when the price is much above the estimate given by a competent engineer. If anybody intended to build a house, the architect's estimate tor which was .£3OO, he would not think for a moment of accepting the lowest tender if it was over And there can be no reason why members of a local body should deal wnh the ratepayers' money in a different manner to which they

would deal with their own money. Possibly the contractors are entitled to

some consideration—although my experience is that the average contractor is well able to look after himself—but

Hie first duty of the members of the County Council is to look after the interests of the ratepayers. If the con-

tractors can be assisted without injury to the ratepayers, well and good; but when the interests of the contractors and the ratepayers clash, then the contractors must look after themselves.

o.' Similarly, the County Councillors acted wisely when they decided that contracts must be completed up to contract time. Ot course, circumstances

will arise when a contractor cannot complete the work in the specified time owing to a shortage of labour, or a difficulty in obtaining material, and in such cases it would be only reasonable to allow a little latitude. It is, however, the height of absurdity to be continually letting contracts to be completed in, say, two months, and to find the work dragging on at the end of four months. If the time allowed for carrying out contracts is not sufficient, by all means allow more time, but it is ridiculous to have the time limit exceeded regularly. Besides, it is not fair to those contractors " "who do make an honest effort to .carry work out in the time specified. The County Council, and the contractors too, will find that it is just as easy to carry the work out properly and up to time as it is to do it in a slip-shod happy-go-lucky manner. Now that the Council has started on the right road, let us hope it will stick to it, and if so the members will have the support of all right thinking people.

It was a sad and weary lot of bowlers that returned Jast Saturday after the match with Karangahake—returned with a tale of a disastrous defeat. Even bowlers,' philosophical as they pretend to be, do not care about getting a loss, and when they secure a victory they go home much happier than they do when the fates are against them.

The long weary session of Parliament

is over at last, and no doubt our legislators are by no means sorry. It is very nice sometimes to be a member of Parliament, particularly when banquets and presentations and free entertainments are going about, but when the members have to sit in the House for

twelve, sixteen, and sometimes twenty hours at a time it is by no means pleasant. Year after year, session after session complaints are made about the bad hours Parliament keeps, more particularly towards the end of the session, but apparently we are as far oft a solution ot the trouble as before. Ordinary people find that ten or twelve hours a day is about as long a period as any man can work satisfactorily, but the men who make our laws sometimes sit ior a day and a night at a stretch —• and then wonder how it is we have faulty laws. The late hours must to a great extent be responsible for the many regrettable " scenes" in Parliament. Aiter men have been out of bed all day and all night they get a bit irritable, and their tempers are not as even as they might be s with the result that nasty things are said. Who is responsible ior the late hours is a hard matter to decide. The Government members blame the - Opposition, and the Opposition members blame the Government, but, whoever is to blame, one thing is certain and that is that it is a foolish way of conducting business.