The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1883. The Rangitata Bridge Dispute.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1020, 13 August 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1883. The Rangitata Bridge Dispute.

, The Geraldine County Council must have thought that they were dealing vfjith very simple people when they passed a resolution to the effect that they would not pay their share of the reconstruction of the Rangitata bridge until it had been tested by a flood. What response to that motion was expected we know not, but the letter of the solicitor to the Ashburton Council, stating that unless the money were paid within fourteen days legal proceedings would be taken to recover the amount due, seems to have brought them to their, senses. We confess we do not see how any other answer was possible to an attempt to,shirk an unquestionable liability, and the result of this energetic action has been the rescinding of the childish resolution previously passed. The Geraldine Council have been forced to cry ‘'peccavimus and one would have fancied that having admitted they ■ were wrong, nothing would remain but .to pay the money owingfor the.bridge. Instead of this, however, they have simply appointed a deputation to wait upon the Ashburton County Council for the purpose of discussing the question, and we suppose the interview will take place at Wednesday’s meeting. What there is to discuss in the matter it is not easy t» see. The work which the Ashburton Council were authorised to carry out has been successfully completed, and the people on the other side of the river are called upon to pay their just share. The facts of the case are so simple ; and have been gone over so often that any further talk on the matter will be pure waste of time. No one who knows the circumstances will doubt that sooner or later the money will have to be paid, and the Geraldine County Council by trying to put off the day of reckdning are simply increasing the expense to the district in the way of interest due on the money while it remains unpaid. To do him justice, Mr Tripp, the Chairman, has always been fully alive to the ridiculous nature of the motion passed last month, and vigorously opposed it when it was first brought up. We are, therefore, surprised to find that he was in favor of the deputation, as he must be perfectly well that no good can come from it. The idea of the Geraldine Councillors appears to be that the bridge should be tested in some way, and now that the absurd notion of waiting till a great flood comes has been abandoned it is suggested that two engineers should report upon the stability of the structure. We do not consider that the Ashburton Council will consent to this. No reasonable doubt can be felt as to the bridge being perfectly safe for the purpose for which it was constructed, but even if the engineers reported adversely the money would have to be paid all the same. How the amount required is to be obtained is a question of purely local interest ; it has nothing whatever to do with this county. Still, it would have been better for both parties if instead of showing a spirit of shilly-shally-ing procrastination, the Geraldine County Council had set themselves to raising the necessary money to pay off their just liabilility. Too much time has been spent in debating the matter, and it is to be hoped that the Ashburton Council will make the deputation which is to wait upon them understand that they will not be trifled with.