TANEATUA FOOTPATHS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 52, 29 February 1944, Page 5

TANEATUA FOOTPATHS

:— DETAILS OF LOAN" LIABILITY FOR ACCIDENTS Or H. C. McCready sit the meet-} ing of the Whakatanc County Council last Tuesday asked what details of the footpath loan for the Taneatua township should be: handed to the press for publication in order that ratepayers might know the position. The chairman observed thai he considered the best thing for ratepayers to do if they were seeking siieh information was to make application themselves to the clerk. Gr Burt mentioned, the habit of certain persons in Matata who had cut the footpath away in order to give them level access to their places of business.; Cr McGougan: The councillor can't be doing his job then. Cr Burt: He'll, .do that alright. The debate took a more interesting turn when Cr McC ready raised the point of insurance against any possible accident arising from the poor statu of pedestrian crossings. The chairman thought that such accidents might be directly due to carelessness for which the Council could be held blameworthy. Cr Smith: I suppose the same rule would apply as when, a bridge deteriorates —the Council cannot be held, reponsible for accidents. Lin response to expressions of sur* prise the clerk explained that no liability rested on the Council where it was unaware of any defect in p. bridge, being the cause of an accident. It was however liable if such defect had been brought to its notice and 110 security mesauros had been taken. The position however was considered a delicate one and it was therefore decided to seek legal advice with regard to pedestrian accidents and to refer the question of reconstructing the Taneatua crossings to the Works Committee.