The Taranaki Herald.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7996, 14 October 1887, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald.

PUBLISHED DM?. FRIDAY, OCTOBER U, 1887. *_ The new departure whioh the Taranaki County Counoil has taken in maintaining the County roads by a sjstem of contract has arisen from the expensive and unsatisfactory system of maintaining tho roads by day labor. The day labor was oostly, and up to lately was thought to be effectivo, but when the foreman reported that there were twenty miles of gravelled County roads worn out, the sense of security was disturbed, and it was thought any good system by contract would be better than this costly system, whioh results in such disaster. Last year day work nnd carting cost £1700, and contract and gravelling and metalling cost £1400, or a total .of £3100 on eighty-one miles of road. The new metalling will be a separate contraot. Two or three miles of the Mountain Road ought to be renewed, if the revenue will admit ; this will cost about £350 a mile. Even if the cost per annum will be nearly the same, better value will be received by the ratepayers, as the roads will be receiving larger quantities of gravel and metal yearly, and consequently will be improving in condition, instead of deteriorating, as in the past few years.

The Clifton County has for a long time adopted the tender system for keeping the roads in repair and for doing new work, and the Council has found it to answer better in every respect than having the work done by day labor. There is no difficulty over the matter. The work is laid out, men tender for it, and the lowest is accepted. The engineer sees the contract is carried out properly according to specifications, and everyone is satisfied. The Waitara Town Board has adopted a similar system, and finds that a great saving has been the result, as well as tho roads being Kept in a better state 'of repair. The Olif ton County has by • resolution fixed the pay of labour at 5s per day, and that body pay only that sum for work that is not worth tendering for. When the local bodies outside , the Borough are showing .us how to do the work economically, surely our councillors should take v lesson by them and adopt the same meanß for keeping our roads in repair. We have been making enquiries as to how the Borough men have been employed during the past month, and find that on the fine days they have been engaged in remoring a sanddrift spmewhere near Moles worth-street. If ever there was a job which could be more economically done by contract than day labor that is the one. We feel sure the sand could haye 1 been removed for a third of tbo cost if tenders had been called to what it has cost, with labor at 6s 8d and 7s a day by, the Borough workmen. Considering the number of wet days in the year that the horees and drays cannot be used, we feel certain it would be far cheaper for the Borough to have the carting done by tender. They would then know the cost of each job that was done, whereas it iis impossible now to ascertain the particulars. The loss occasioned when the horses are not working, should be in all cases added to the work when they are employed ; and the calculation being somewhat intricate, the public can never know what any particular piece of work cost. By tender, this would all be avoided. The work would be done cheaper, and there would be no risk of loss, by the death of the animals through accident, nor breakage of the carts through neglect. In fact, in every way the tender system seems to be the fairest for work of this kind ; and would be the means of giving employment to men who complain that they are debarred from getting WOlk owing to the present unfair system.

The annual meeting of the " Beach Bathing Club was held in Mr. Hughes' office on Thursday afternoon. There was a moderate attendance. It was decided " That the members of the family of a proprietary member be charged a reduced rate for the annual ticket, namely, single ticket, 2s 6d; family ticket (including members of the family over 12 years of age), ss. This was all the business. The steamer Wanaka, from Ouehunga, with the inward 'Frisco mail, arrived at the breakwater at half-past eight on Friday morning, and after landing 18 mail bags and several passengers proceeded south. The mail landed is for the coast from here to Foxton. The Postoffice officials had the bags sorted within three-quarters of an hour. Tenders for small fire hose, blinds, and paving and kerbing, which have already been published, were laid on the table at the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board meeting on Wednesday. An offer from the Captain of the Fire Brigade to dispose of 250 feet of hose to the Board for £10 wop accepted. This hose was purchased by the Brigade in Dunedin, and was, consequently, the property of the Brigade. Some time ago, it will bo remembered, the Harbor Board came to an agreement by which they were to supply tho Railway Department with five hundred yards of stone to be used in thß strengthening tho Moturoa railway embankment near tho town station. Four hundred yards or thereabouts havo been so far delivered, thus leaving a hundred yards yet to come. When this 10l has been delivered, the Board will cease any further supply, and the men engaged at present in the quarries at tho breakwater will doubtloßß bo discharged.