THE MAIN ROADS OF CYPRUS

was advised by the Native Members of the Municipal Commission in 1879 but an
Ordnance for which a precedent is taken from the case'of Zante during the British
Occupation of the Ionian Islands was passed to supercede the old Law imposing
compulsory labour as requirements demanded; all labourers so employed were
however paid Is. a day indiscriminately.
Its aid was first invoked during the construction of the Limassol-Platres
Military Road in order to expedite the work; it does not appear to have been
operated again; probably the rise in wages under the new rule removed any
necessity for so doing as it is recorded that in the case of the Kyrenia District
whereas the price of labour had been, prior to 1878, 5cp. or 7^d. a day, it had
risen in April 1879 to Sep. or lO^d.; in another case at Larnaca, it had been from
4 to Icp. for common labour and 15 to 17cp. for master masons but had risen to
lOc^. and 24 respectively. Sir Garnet Wolseley also wrote on the 12th August,
1878. " I am now paying labourers Is. 3d. to Is. 6d. a day."
On the Limassol-Platres Military Road nothing less than Is. was paid.
The Military Road from Goshi to Dali and Mathiati was one of the earliest
enterprises and a sum of £3,700 6s. 2d. was spent upon it.
The Limassol-Troodos Road was opened as far as Platres by the summer of
1879 and the expenditure recorded is as follows :—
Original estimate of cost - - - - - £6,000
Supplementary sanction - - - - - 3,000
„ charged to Island Revenue - - - 2,000
£11,000
In addition to which an item of expenditure is recorded for :
Improving mule track from Platres to Troodos to admit the
passage of carts . - - - . £1,200
Prior to 1880 there appear to have been the following sums also spent on, or
in connection with, Roads, namely:—
Widening the Pedias River and constructing 2nd arch in
Bridge near Nicosia - - - - - £350
Improving Entrance to Nicosia at the Paphos Gate, Roads
to Government House and thence to the Larnaca Road,
etc. - - - - - - - £800
A vote of £1,000 appears to have been taken for the maintenance of the
Limassol-Troodos Military Road and another £2,000 for the maintenance of the
Nicosia-Larnaca Road for the year 1879 and other evidences seem to justify the
assumption that all these amounts were spent.
In justification of the expenditure upon widening the Pedias River Bridge
which was estimated to cost £750 but apparently only £350 spent it is stated
that in,the year 1865 a flood broke through into Nicosia, submerged a great part
of the City drowing many persons and animals.
A great number of projects were put forward at this time, thus for instance :—
District Roads - - . . . . £37,000
and again :—
Rough detail of the Fair Weather Roads it is proposed to construct in the
Financial Year 1879-80*
ΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ