private contractors

Roads Dispute

Arguments continued across County Limerick over whether public roads should be maintained through private contracts or by labourers employed directly under elected local authorities. The Munster News criticised what it regarded as Limerick County Council’s unsatisfactory handling of road tenders and the developing direct-labour question. The dispute followed the transfer of road administration from the Grand Jury system to the newly elected county and rural district councils. Councillors were now responsible for deciding how public money should be spent, who should receive employment and whether established contractors continued to offer the most economical and reliable method of keeping roads in repair.