THE NEW REDCLYFFE BRIDGE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3106, 11 June 1881, Page 3

THE NEW REDCLYFFE BRIDGE.

;The ceremony of opening and cbristen(■■g tbe new bridge at Redclyffe was performed yesterday soon after mid-day. Notwithstanding the heavy rain, and the yery depressing aspect of the surroundings, a goodly number assembled on the . h-'dge at the time appointed. A number .lof visitors from Napier and the districts /around Taradale had arrived at Mr Mchotel by about eleven o'clock, waited for any additions that might ■p forthcoming. When noon came, and |fit was evident that all who were going to "'. take part in the ceremony had arrived, Mr Rymer's big coach, drawn by his splendid team of greys, drew up to the door, and was soon filled inside and out. A few minutes afterwards the first vehicle crossed the bridge. Mr Glendinning, a number of his workmen, and a crowd of Maoris, were on the bridge waiting the arrival of tbe coach, which on its approach was received with cheering. After crossing the bridge the coach returned to the centre, where the bridge widens, and where a company ot about one hundred assembled. Mr Sutton then mounted one of the guards of the bridge, and said they had met under circumstances which were both fortunate and unfortunate—'Unfor tunate because of the raia which made such a gathering unpleasant, and fortunate because they were about to inaugurate a most important work, and one ■ i which, if he knew any thing of Hawke's '■"Bay weather, had just been finished in L time. During considerable portions of the I year the river was impassable, and it apF neared very probable that within a few uys that would have been its' condition "y* they had not had their bridge. .*? ' Miss Bennett then offered the lihation nal upon such occasions, and christened ie bridge the " Redclyffe Bridge." Cheers were then given for the bridge and for Mr Glendioning, and the party returned to Mr M'Donald's hotel, where a luncheon of the most substantial and inviting character awaited them. Over fifty sat down to luncheon, Mr Sutton, M.H.R., occupying the chair, and Mr Bennett the vice-chair. After ample justice had been done to the liberal fare provided, Mr Sutton said that, as it was not advisable on such occasions to extend tbe toasts, he would give the HBual loyal toast of the Queen with the Boyal Family and the Governor of the colony. After this toast had been drunk right loyally. Mr Sutton said he wished to propose a toast connected with the occasion which had brought them together. The opening of this bridge would be found to be a most important work. The township had not many public buildings, but now

they had put up one of the greatest importance. From the day the contract was signed till the present it had appeared as if there was no necessity for tbe bridge, but those who knew the district knew that during three or four months in the year the road between Taradale and Omahu had been impassable, and the traffic, in consequence, suspended* The County Council had now got over the difficulty; they had bridged over the river. His task was a pleasant one but difficult; it was pleasant because of the occasion which brought them together, and difficult because, although he bad to speak on public questions, he must avoid politics, which should not be introduced at a meeting like the present. If his remarks should touch on the domain of politics he asked them to remember that he did not intend them to do so; be would have to speak to them in regard to the representation of the district after the session was over. In a few months there wo-ild be elections, not only for the Hou?e of Representatives, but for the County Councils. The elections for the latter would be in November, and the opening of this bridge was a fitting opportunity to point out what their County Council had done. Reference bad been made in certain quarters to a modified form of provincialism. He had tried to understand what that meant, but had failed. The County Council was more democratic then the Provincial Councils had been. In them the people had more direct power. He was a firm believer in the power of the people, and thought they should exercise control especially where they found the funds. In the provincial system there was autocracy. Hawke's Bay had been particularly fortunate in having at the head of aftairs such an administrator as Mr Ormond, but the system did not suit the place. Under provincialism what did Taradale get ? or the Wairoa ? or any place to the north of Napier ? Almost seven-eights of the money available had been spent in the south, and chiefly in making a road to Te Aute. It was a good road, but did not directly benefit them. When he became the Chairman of the Council he had looked round for something upon which to direct his energies, and he had determined that it was of the utmost importance to open up the country known as the inland Patea. He bad worked to obtain that, and it was important to the whole of the province. In 1879 the Government granted £3000 to aid in open up this country, and a road had been made beyond Mangawhare. The Council had added to this, and the total expenditure had been £5000. Fourteen miles of the road were bow open for traffic, and besides the bridge opened that day there was the Kuripapanga bridge, on the same road, in process of construction. The Council had further authorised the road from Korokipo to Omahu, and within twelve months he hoped to see the traffic opened up from Omahu to Okawa, and thence to Mangawbare. The local government under the provincial system was somewhat in the position of a child requiring certain kinds of food, but in ten years it had grown beyond that and required something stronger. Since the Hawke's Bay County Council had been established on the Ist of January, 1877, it had received about £36,000, a very large proportion of which—about £25,000—had been raised by direct taxation. The provinces derived their income from land sales and other sources which the County Councils could not have recourse to. Out of the money received by the Council it had spent £28,757 upon roads and bridges. That showed tbe Council was not unmindful of its duty. They had erected three important bridges at the Ngaruroro, the Redclyffe and Kuripapanga—at a cost of nearly £10,000. The Provincial Council existed about fourteen years and had built only three bridges and had subsiribed towards the cost of a fourth, costing altogether about £6000. While the County uouncil had expended nearly £30,000 on public works, the salaries only amounted to about £2300, or a little under 7 per cent of the expenditure. He could not arrive at an average of the provincial expenditure, because tbe police, survey, and other services were maintained by the Province, and therefore he could not institute comparisons. He was, however, proud to say that the County Council had done good and valuable work, and a great portion of the moneys received bad been devoted to the opening up of the country. He did not wish to cast aspersions on the doings of past years, and was almost inclined to think that the Provincial Council could have done good work in making use of its experience, but he wished to clear away any impression that the County Council bad not done the work it was intended to do. He did not altogether support County Councils as at present constituted ; they were inclined to clash with those useful bodies, the Road Boards. The two bodies went over the same ground. He had tried every session to bring about some alteration for the purpose of weld ing the two together, lie had strong objection to two valuators and two rate collectors going over the same grouud ; there was nothing to prevent one valuator and one rate collector • doing the whole, and he intended next session to draw attention to the desirability of preventing this clashing. He claimed for the County Council that they had uone two good things for the Taradale district; they had abolished the toll-gates, which had been left as a legacy to the County Council, and which were a great nuisance. They had also built this bridge, not to the determent of any other district, but because it was a good and necessary work. The bridge opened to-day was the first bridge in Hawke's Bay which had been built of provincial timber. There was no other bridge in Hawke's Bay without kauri, or blue gum, or jarrab, and he had been informed ths>t the totara piles used in the bridge were superior to any of those imported timbers. Had it not been for press of work at the local mills tbe bridge would have been solely constructed of local timber, but as it was the contractor had to send away for totara timber exactly the same as he could have got here. The construction of the bridge had thus helped to promote a local industry, but there was also another " local industry" which bad been developed by this work. The engineer who prepared the plans and seen the work carried out was what he might term a " Napier boy." He had grown up amongst them, and it was a source of great satisfaction to him (Mr Sutton) that he had to propose the health of that engineer of local growth, Mr 0. D. Kennedy. He hoped ».hat in future years not only would local timber be used, but that their sons would grow up to show them how to use it. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm. Mr C. Kennedy said he had to thank them for the cordial manner in which his health, as the engineer of the bridge, had been proposed and received. The Chairman had already alluded to the financial considerations which had necessarily guided him (Mr Kennedy) in preparing designs for this work. His duty, being duly informed of the amount available for the purpose, and being duly

acquainted with the proposed site, was to design a structure that would stand any strain it might be called upon to bear in cases of emergency. In doing so he must admit tbat he had to some extent been compelled to sacrifice an elegant appearance for a more solid one of permanent stability. The result would, he trusted, remain a las. ting credit to the County Council, to the contractor, and to the overseer who superintended the construction. He thought this would be a fitting opportunity for giving a short description of the bridge. It consisted of 19 spans of 38ft 6in each, and two shore spans of 25ft each, making a total length of 781 ft 6in. The piles, of which there were six in each pier, were driven to a depth of twenty feet below the level of the river bed. The bridge was thirteen feet in width, with the exception of a crossing place in the centre, where the width was increased to to twenty feet. The truss was designed on what is known as the Howe principle. The materials empoyled throughout were of the best discription. In conclusion he desired to thank the chairman and other members of the Council for the ever ready consideration and courtesy he had received from them, and also to express his obligations to Mr Glendinning, the contractor, and to Mr Orr, the overseer, for the manner in which they had performed their respeC' tive duties. Mr Rymer then proposed the health of Mr Glendinning, who responded in saitable terms. > '■ Mr Bennett, in proposing the Chairman's health, said he remembered the time when the traffic from the other side of the river had to come to town by way of Farndon and the beach. A road through Meanee was made and that was considered a great then. He did not think tbey could bring the district closer to town than they had by opening the bridge. That bridge opened the line up to Patea, with the exception of the Kuripapanga bridge. He had urged the construction of the Redclyffe bridge because the district was fully entitled to consideration. While the provinces were in existence the northern portions of the provioce could get nothing. When the road to Patea was opened up there would be more traffic on it than on any other road in the province. They were entitled to a fair share of the Government expenditure, as they paid property tax and other taxes for the construction of railways in other parts. Had it not been for Mr Sutton he did not believe they would have got tbe Redclyffe bridge, and without him Mr Rymer's and the speaker's efforts in the Council would not have gone for much. Mr Sutton had always devoted a large share of attention to local bodies. He would ask them to drink Mr Sutton's health.

After the toast had been drunk, Mr Sutton replied and asked them to drink success to the Taradale district, and coupled with the toast the name of Mr Condie. Mr Condie responded briefly. Mr Bennett proposed the health of Messrs Winter, Donnelley, and Renata, who, by guaranteeing the money for the formation of the road, had contributed largely to the convenience of tbe district. Mr Wilson replied for Mr Winter, and Mr H. L. Donnelley for his brother. Mr Bennett proposed the toast of" The Host and Hostess." Mr Macdonald replied, thanking those present for their cordial expression of good feeling towards himself and his wife, and assured them that they would always do their utmost to make their visitors comfortable. Votes of thanks to the County Council, to Mr Rymer for the use of his coach and four, and the toast of " The Press" were then proposed and cordially received. The assembly then broke up.