RUATOKI BRIDGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 86, Issue 7, 30 June 1944, Page 5

RUATOKI BRIDGE

SERIOUS EROSION THREAT

COUNTY COUNCIL TO ACT

The urgency of the need' for repair work to the Ruatoki River Bridge was emphasised by Cr McGougan at the recent meeting of the Whakaltane County Council, when it was dtecided to instruct the engineer to compile estimates and to take 1 what remedial action he deemed neces- ' sary. The question arose out of a lejtter from the P.W.D. in which the County was asked to prepare pro- v posals and estimates of protective work for Avestern abuttment. The Works Committee recommended that the responsibility be shouldered back on to the Department. "Lopk here," said Cr McGougan. "Unless this work is grappled with fairly soon the bridge will be undermined altogether and we'll be faced with the cost of a new bridge. We don't want % to sit down and do nothing." Cr McCready: Why not hand it back to the P.AV.D. The Chairman: They wouldn't take it. Qr McCready: When you had the opportunity to do so you wouldn't do it. I was the only one who was prepared to do so. ' The Chairman: We've been bucking about it long enough. Cr McCready: Yes t , but we didn't buck hard enough. We should have bucked until we bucked them off. Cr McCready agreed with Cr McGougan that rather than seek to throw the responsibility' on to the Department, the council should in its own interests do something. He moved that the engineer prepare estimates and take steps at once to put the job in hand. Crs Cawte and Burt cautioned against the acceptance of full, responsibility, which would they claimed, lead to the council being shouldered with the full costs. The Chairman: We should at least get a subsidy on it. The motion was then put to the meeting and carried.