Otara Bridge.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 25, 29 July 1895, Page 2

Otara Bridge.

MEETING AT PEMBERTON. A meeting of settlers interested in the erection of a bridge over the Kangitikei river at Otara was held in the Pemberton school house ou Saturday afternoon last and was attended by twenty-six ratepayers. Mr Jas. Reid, chairman of the Kiwitea County Council, was voted to the chair. Mr C. Bray, junr., Engineer to the County was also present. Mr Reid, having expressed his pleasure at seeing ao many aettlera present, pro. ee^ed to place the proposals of himself and the Council before the meeting. He said the ratepayers had the matter of erecting a bridge at Otara in their own hands, the Council having agreed to terms on which the erection would be proceeded with. It was proposed to raiso a loan of £625 over a special rating district to pay a portion of the cost of constructing approaches to the bridge. After deducting the Government subsidy of £1875 the Eangitikei and Kiwitea County Councils had agreed to bear in equal shares the cost of bridge and approaches. The settlers immediately interested were required to find £625 of the Kiwitea County's share and the remainder would be paid for out of loan over the whole county. The interest on £625 would be £36, and to raiie thia amount would require a special rate of £ of a penoy in the £ on the capital value over the proposed special rating district, and would be annually recurring for twenty-six years. At the last meeting held re this bridge it tvas decided to leave the township of Eangiwahia out of the special rating district, and now they proposed leaving out sections 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 to 15 as it would simplify matters. The settlers were, also, going to be asked to raiso a loan of £1696, to form, culvert, and bridge the road from the top of the cliff to Pemberton. This wa= part of the agreement with the Kiwitea County Council. This i loan would be raised over the same district as the former loan, excepting sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, Block XLV, Hautapu, and sections 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, and 37 Sandoa Block, as the settlers owning these sections had their own roads to make. The loan of £1696 requires an annually recurring payment, for 26 years, of £122, with a£d in the £ rate. Although a rate is struck it would not increase witb the valuation. He knew how they could reduce that £122 from time to time but they were obliged to strike -the £d rate as security to the Government. It was never intended for thrm to make roads out of the general rate or thirds, and they could not do it as it took more than collected to repair made roads. The Council told him the erection of the bridge depended on a poll for a loan to make this road being carried. The estimated coat of the suspension bridge and approaches was £5000 and they proposed to go on with the work immediately if the polls were carried. He asked those present for an expression of opinion. Mr J. D. McGregor was sure they would never have the same opportunity of getting a bridge at Otara if the loan proposals now before them were lost. They knew what the road would cost to make, as eighty chains of it were now let at £2 per chain, and he had no doubt the remainder would be done for £2. Metalling could be left out for a year or two, as there would always be slips coming down and by that time the settlerß would be in a better position to pay an extra rate for the purpose of metalling the road. He would propose, " That this meeting is of opinion that steps should be immediately taken to borrow £•625 for the purpose of paying part of cost of making the approaches to the Otara bridge and to borrow the sum of .£1696 for the purpose of forming and culverting and bridging the Mangamako from the village of Marshall to the top of the cliff at Otara ; also, that the special rating district for each loan be that described." Mr F. Pemberton, in seconding the motion, thought if they did not carry these polls they would lose the bridge and it was to their advautagn to rate themselves a little heavier than go on as they were. They would eventually go to Hunterville for marketing and the bridge was necessary. In reply to questions Mr Reid said they had excluded the Kimbolton road metalling because they would be giving more than they got — they wonld be giving L4O and getting L2B by taking the settlers interested in the two miles of metalling into the special rating district. He did not know when Ihey would be able to get the money to make the road as £24,000 worth of work was already scheduled, but they -would get a share of loan money from time to time. If the polls are carried they would go on witb the bridge at once, and it would be completed within eighteen months. There was no fear of settlers rating themselves for the Ot.ira bridge being rated for another at Mapgaweka. The Council would not build a bridge at the latter site as well as the former, and the Government would have to do it. The approaches to Otara bridge would be ' made with the bridge. No rate would be collected until the year after the money was obtained. No alteration could be made in the schedule when once advertised. Mr McGregor's motion was carried unanmously. Mr Reid apologised for Cr Homer's non-attendance at the meeting, he being unavoidably absent. In discussing other matters Mr Keid said settlers interested in the two miles of metalling on Kimbolton road beyond the township could form a special rating district over which to raise a loan. The estimated cost of this metalling was 4:560. They were now entitled to increased representation on the Council, but a redistribution of seats could not take place until December, 1896, when they could divide the Hautapu and Apiti ridings, and have two more councillors. Settlers in the Special Settlement blocks had a voice in where their rates were to be spent. In reply to a question by Mr McGregor, Mr Bray said that at stated periods the Government sent up lists of accrued thirds with the lists of sections, and he had to describe where the money was spent. Until they got these lists the Council did not know what thirds were available, nor did they know who capitalised. They don't get a third of the money from capitalised perpetual lease land. He thought they only got a third of the rent for fifteen years. Mr E. McGregor was informed while in "Wellington on one occasion that when the property became freehold the thirds ceased. Mr Eeid thanked those present for their attendance, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman.