The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-02-13 00:00:00

R.El,tll OF TUE ROADS.

Mr. Morioka, who had a notice as to repairing the math
and streets by centauct, had spoken of the roads in
Weston, where he said were no roads lit to drive on. He
sive two tuen at work near the churchysu .1, and said"
wish you could get this churchyard wall extended, for I
set: you dont intend to go further than the walL" (Alluding
to their getting under shelter.) (Laughter.)
tln the question of contracting for the roads, Mr. Glans
thought it would be cruel to take their men off the werk,
awl put them on parish ley.
Mr. Mann- : We are paying 50s, for les, worth of work.
Mr. E. PEARCII had seen the men outside his house, and
wij quite certain they earmai their pay over and over
again. If they he] an ablebodied moo, and gave him
3s. 6•1. a clay, he would not do to much. If the roads were
let by contract perhaps not one would be employed, and
they would have all to ••ome en the parish.
Mr. 110DDER had not wish to crush the poor men ; but
he did not see why they should as a parish be taxed more
than any other. How many men had they on the road.?
The CHAIRMAN said over 20.
Mr. HODDER believed they were Zl, but at all events
they had over 20 men at work on 14 miles of road.
Mr. E. Pesach : Fifteen.
Mr. HODDER thought they would not see more elsewhere
on a 100 tulles. Sometimes a lot of stone was put by the
side of the road for nothing, and the surveyor should have
it cracked and put down where it was wanted, instead of
having it carted away elsewhere, and afterwards taken up
and carted again. Then just look at the material;
Fortune's Wellsroad was gone, right through the backbone,
and the material (beach shingle) put on lately, was not
going to be worn in. Then if they bad 20 men on, you do
not see five of them at work at one time. Ile saw •
gentleman's trap turned over there, the horse fell down
only la.t week.
Mr. T. Gums: I WWI in the trap. (Laughter.)
Mr. HoDOCR continued that it WU said "Never too old
to learn ;" but some people had no heart to learn; they did
not intend to do what was right. • If they did not let out
the roads they were impoverishing the parish .1:1810 a year,
anti that they did not dare to spend.
Mr. G. ANDREWS said there was better work for the old
men than cracking stones; for Instead of a yard of atone
for Is., it probably cost ss. : but there were old men at
2s. lid. a day who would, if set making curb and gutter
stones, do as much as men at 58. a day. The Local Board
ought not to he a Board for charity, hat should get a Is.
worth of work for la The work now was neither done,
nor left to do. Why? Because the headpiece is wrong.
Mr. K PEARCE said the let the roads out under the
Highway Board, and they coat £l5OO a year. Were not
the ands better now than then I
(Toles. "No, no, no ! There is no man on the Board
who can believe that.")
In answer to enquiries, Mr. Crocker stated that the
average ,00t, of highway repairs, including horse hire,
men's wages, and unaterial, wes canine years, £476 lb. 2,1,
per year.
Ale PetwT. said if let out by contract, the roads would
rota. more. Some of these poor men got 28. &1., a day,
others, 25.. and if the road were let out, by contract, a
foreigner might come, bring his own men, and all the men
formerly employed be discharged.
Mr. B. SCRIVF.N did not believe the estimate could be
made out front the pay sheets. If Mr. Pearce saw the men
outside his house, he saw what he ought not, for the
committee decided that another pert should be done first'
The road opposite Mr. Pearce's, the Punchbowl, and Mr.
Osborae's wail comparatively good. No doubt the onus
came upon the surveyor, who did his work to the best of