SUBSIDY REFUSED FOR BRIDGE WORK ON WAIMANA RIVER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 44, 28 September 1949, Page 5

SUBSIDY REFUSED FOR BRIDGE WORK ON WAIMANA RIVER

Regret at the action of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control ■Council in refusing to subsidise urgent work done on the Truss bridge over the Waimana River was expressed by the chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, at yesterday’s meeting of the Whakatane County Council. Because the Soil Conservation Council contended that the work had been done without their authority no public money could be :spent on the job. Mr Burnett said that the work had had to be done urgently and although no authority had been received the Conservation Council had been advised of the work and supplied with details. It had been imperative at the time that the work be done. If the County Council had waited for authority further extensive damage might have been done. Cr A. F. McGougan said that something should be done about all the delay. When any damage was done in the county it was not always possible to wait for authority. Details and proposals had been supplied before the work had been proceeded with, the engineer, Mr ■C. H. Brebner, said. The job had even been inspected by engineers of the Works Department, who had •agreed verbally that it was necessary for the job to be done immediately. It appeared, Mr Burnett added, the Council was going to make a stand on the fact that the work had been completed before authority was received. , “In this particular case work had to be done.”

It was decided to proceed with ■efforts to obtain the subsidy and the engineer was instructed to prepare a report to be spbmitted to the authorities in Wellington by Mr Burnett.