Opening of the Apiti Bridge.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 98, 22 October 1896, Page 2

Opening of the Apiti Bridge.

The bridge across the Oroua river on the main road from Feilding to Apiti was formally opened yesterday by the Hon. the Premier, Mr R. J. Seddon. Early in the morning a number of people from Feilding began the journey, which is about twenty- three miles from Feilding to the bridge site and twentynine miles to Apiti where a banquet was held in honor of the occasion. The time appointed for the opening ceremony was one o'clock and the Premier and Mrs Seddon were punctual to time. On the arrival of the Premier at the site, which is at a very pretty locality, with towering hills around and a' steep cbiff on the eastern side of the river, he was met by Mr W. Vicary, the representative in the Pohangina County Council of the Mangapikopiko riding, Mr F. S. Gay, chairman of the demon stration committee, and others. The Premier, who was welcomed by Mr Guy on behalf of the settlers, the reception committee and others then proceeded across the bridge to a barrier near the eastern end where Mrs Vicary drove the last nail amidst cheers. Cheers were also given for the Premier and Mrs Seddon. In declaring the bridge open, the Premier assured those present (numbering fully four hundred) that it gave him great pleasure to do so. At the time of getting the invitation he was attending to his duties at the session, and he assured them it was more congenial for him to be here than being roasted by the Opposition. The Government had been designated " the roads and bridges Government," but nothing could be better than to give the settlers who go into the back country assistance, particularly when they are in danger in getting to their holdings. He was pleased this dangerous ford had been abolished by having a bridge erected. People in the towns forget the dangers the country settlers had to go through, but it was the latter who were the making of the country and the towns, so that when the Government spend money in opening up the country they ought to have the support of the towns. The value of town property was enhanced by the prosperity of the country settlers, and he considered the opening of a bridge in the country was as important as opening a great railway. If more money had been spent in making roads and less on railways the country would have been better off. This bridge cost nearly £3000, and more than half the cost bad been found by the people in the district most interested. He said its erection spoke well for Mr Vicary and all concerned. The bridge was well designed, for which Mr H. J. Hayns deserved praise, it was well constructed for which he complimented the contractor, Mr Sinclair ; and the overseer, Mr W. D. Nicholas, deserved credit. He congratulated the district on the completion of the work. There were other works which required attention in the district, and he mentioned how, a few years ago, Mr T. R. Taylor, then chairman of the Kiwitea Road Board, had on ew occasion waited on him as a deputation to ask for a subsidy ; that gentleman described the roads as being sloughs of despond, where bullocks and horses had been buried in mud. The desire of the Government was to see that the requirements of each and every district were attended to. The life blood of the country was roads and bridges, bnt it was necessary to have money to do this work, and then why growl at the Government for raising the money to do the work ? If taxation were heaped on settlers by local bodies having to raise loans to do all necessary works they would be driven away, and the land abandoned. The colony shonld come to the assistance of the settlers as had been done in tbis case. The settlers here were under no obligation to the Government or the colony for what bad been done, as they deserved it and were only getting what they assisted to pay for. He meant to give more for roads and bridges and do what the settlers deserved. From 1879 to the time the Liberal Government took office £16,000,---000 bad been spent by the Conservatives, but they did little to Bettle the country. The Liberals had been in office for six years, and the public debt had been increased by a little over £4,000,000, and all but a small amount of that was paying interest. So long as local bodies advocated necessary works would they get assistance from Government, who only spent money on works that were necessary. He concluded by calling for cheers for Mr and Mrs Vicary, Messrs Hayns, Sinclair, Nicholas, and those who had taken part in the proceedings, and by thanking them for tne reception accorded him. Mr F. Pirani, M.H.R., said that although this part of the district was now out of his electorate he felt he should say something if it was only to say farewell. Referring to the bridge and the subsidy from the Government, be said he had a great difficulty to get it and it was only after he threatened to stonewall the estimates that a sum of £500 was placed on the supplementary estimates by the Colonial Treasurer. He said repentance was well unless it came too late, and be criticised the statement that the Government had willingly contributed. This year the Government put sufficient on the estimates to pay half the cost. If the Premier would go a little further into the back country— the Salisbury aud other blocks — he would find roads were even more necessary than this bridge was. Those living in the back country were unable to bring so much pressure to bear on the Government as those in the towns and he hoped the Premier's eyes would be opened and he would give more assistance to the former. He was speaking in the interest of the settlers and not to try and catch votes as it didn't matter to him now. He admired the Premier because there were few men in tbe colony who could accomplish as much as he had. He concluded by thanking the settlers for their past confidence in him. Mr Seddon said Mr Pirani paid the Government a high compliment when he referred to their slowness to spend money for it snowed they were very careful with other people's money and were well convinced that works were necessary before making any votes. What they did was done conscientiously. They bad many demands for email amounts, and they would be as careful in the future as in the past. Mr H. Dicken, chairman of the Pohangina County, in a short address said that as far as the County Council was concerned, the erection of the bridge was due to Mr Vicary, who had worked hard for it, he being determined to get it. He urged on the Premier the claims of the settlers on tbe eastern side of the Pohangina river, to a subsidy towards a bridge. Referring to the cost he said the Pohangina County paid two-thirde and the Kiwitea one-third, less the Government subsidy towards erecting this bridge Mr W. F. Jacob, chairman of the Ki-" witea County, expressed his pleasure at being present and welcomed the Premier, hoping the work already done by the settlors would create a favorable impression npon that gentleman. Mr W. D. Nicholas, in a short address, referred to tbe quantities of material in the bridge. Mr Vicary, in returning thanks for the kind expressions U9ed with reference to himself, said he had only done his duty as a settler in trying to get the bridge. The opening ceremony concluded with cheers for those who assisted, and the Premier and party were driven over the bridge and proceeded to Apiti where a banquet was held. ; fiefreshmente were provided, free of

sharge, under an Hwniug on the river bed, for the numerous visitors, who included representatives from all parts of bbc district for miles around, including members of the Pohangina and Eiwitea County Councils. It might here be appropriate to give a brief history of the bridge and its con> struct ion, but to do that it is necessary to state that about ten years ago the first settlers went on to what was then known as thd Feilding Small Farm Block, the township being named Apiti. Things went on smoothly for a few years, the then few settlers being satisfied with the ford across the Oroua river into the block, which at that time was much better than latterly. In March, 1892, Mr W. Vicary, previous to this time a settler in the South Island, purchased and settled on a section in the Apiti Block. In June of the same year a public meeting wae held in Mr D. McKenzie's woolshed for the purpose of urging on the authorities the necessity of instituting regular mail services into the block. At this meeting Mr Vicary broached the subject of starting an agitation for a bridge across the river, but most of the settlers were more anxious to get their roads made. Scarcely a meeting was held in Apiti but what the ways and means of getting a bridge were discussed. In Oct.. 1892, Mr Vicary, who seemed to be looked on as a leader of the public opinion of the district in the matter of progress, wrote to the Minister of Public Works on behalf ot the settlers, asking for a subsidy to* wards the erection of a bridge over the Oroua river on the Oroua Valley road. The usual reply was received that there were "no funds at present available." Thinking that " No funds at present " meant there would be some later on, Mr Vicary persistently kept up the agitation as he recognised the fact that as the settlers increased they would find the river would be a great drawback to the prosperity of the district. A few months after writing to the Minister of Public Works, he got up a petition which was largely signed by ratepayers in No. 5 and part of No. 3 wards, to the then Pohangina Road Board, who had offices at Feilding at the time, asking that a bridge be erected, and that the Eiwitea Road Board be requested to pay onethird of the cost. The No. 5 Ward was what is now called the Mangapikopiko and Umutoi ridings. The Pohangina Road Board did what they could, but without success as first. The unfortunate accident to the young man Donald Clarke on May 30, 1893 whereby he lost his life by drowning in attempting to cross the ford on his way to his section in the Apiti block, prompted Mr Vicary to again call a public meeting to renew the agitation for a bridge. This was the largest meeting up to that date held in Apiti. A petition was prepared and signed by everyone present and sent to the Minister for Public Works, through Mr F. Pirani, M.H.R., asking for a subsidy towards a bridge. In May, 1894, Mr Vicary was elected to represent No. 5 Ward on the Pohangina Road Board. He was now in a better position to push on the erection of the bridge with all possible despatch. During the session ot 1894, the Government voted LSOO, mainly owing to the efforts of Mr F. Pirani, M.H.R., towards the cost, and the county took immediate steps for the erection of a bridge. A special rating district was formed for the purpose of raising a loan of L 992 to cover two«thirds of the cost (less Government subsidy), the Eiwitea Road Board having agreed to pay one-third of the cos*. Precautions were taken by Mr Vicary when forming the special rating district that it should not be called on to contribute anything towards a bridge over the Pohangina riyer at any future time, a fact which it would be worth the Mangapikopiko Bottlers remembering. When the plans for the bridge were prepared by Mr H. J. Hayns, the engineer for the Pohan. gina County, it was found that it was very desirable and almost a necessity that the bridge should be built on cylinders. Representations were made to the Government through Mr Pirani for a further grant, with the result that during the session of 1895 a promise was made that cylinders would be given if Government had any in hand, or they would vote another J6250 for the purpose. Tenders were called, and the work completed last year, for making the approach on this side, at a cost of .£206, Mr B. Poole being the contractor for this work. Tenders were invited early in the present year for erecting the bridge, Mr D. Sinclair being the successful tenderer at £3287. It was now found that more money was required to pay for the total cost than was available and the Government were again approached, with the result that a further sum was placed on. the estimates, making the total grant £1506. Mr Sinclair commenced the erection of the bridge in March last. It is constructed on two solid concrete piers 25ft long by 4ft 6in in width, and 12ft below the surface of the ground, Bft being in solid papa. Between these concrete piers are two 83ft spans on two 6ft 6in cylinders, which are 54ft long, being 30ft above and 24ft under water. In sinking these cylinders they passed through 14ft of gravel and boulders before the papa was struck, and they were put 10ft through the papa The cylinders are finished on top with a cap, which makes. a nice finish. Six feet l£in bolts are placed in the concrete and fastened by 12 x1 x ljin iron plates. These anchor bolts pass through the cross beams and corbels and secure %he whole together. The greater part of the timber used in the bridge is heart of totara, with a little iron bark and hard wood. Most of the timber was obtained from Messrs Lowes and Jarvis' mill. The bridge consists of five spans — two 83ft, one 80ft, one 25ft, and one 15ft, or 236 ft of wood work without the approaches. There were 55,000 ft of tim Der, 85 tons of cylinders, 5 tons of iron work, and 350 casks of cement used in the construction of the bridge. The short span on the eastern side is held up by a trestle, which although at present high above water mark, it is proposed to put a i concrete base to, to avoid any possible danger from floods. The whole work has been carried out in an excellent manner, and reflects great credit on the builder, who seems to have bestowed* 7 every care on its construction, and to all appearances it will stand for ages. The total cost up to the present is £2857 11s.

THE BANQUET.

At 6. p.m. a banquet was held in Mr Guy's Hall, there being about one hundred persons present, inelodmg the Premier and Mrs Seddon and a number of ladies. After the good things provided by the caterer, Mr Meikan, had been done full justice to, the following toasts were proposed and replied to, viz.,— "The Queen" proposed by the chairman, Mr F. S. Guy, who also, proposed " The Governor" and the " New Zealand Parliament," the latter being coupled with the name of Mr F. Pirani» M.H.R., who in his remarks said Par* 1 laments were just what people made them. If they were good, then the people must be good, but if bad the people were to blame. " Our Guests" was proposed by Mr Gascoigne who expressed their pleasure at seem? the Premier there and, also, those other persons who had come from a long distance. Mr Seddon replied in an amusing address, in which he stated the art of governing was to do it well and to secure the support of the people, which he believed this Government had. They dealt wifih the problems which past administrations were afraid to deal with. New Zealand was in the van of progress and her legislation was t>eing copied by the mother country.

He admitted mistakes were made sometimes and the best they could do was to admit it. He owed his. position to the miners on the West Coast and he hoped they would not regret his having been elected Premier. He disapproved of setting class against class, but the poorer classes should not be debarred from the advantages enjoyed by the well to do. He thanked them for the hospitality shown himself and Mrs Seddon. He also, thanked the Rangiwahia people for their invitation to go to that district bat regretted he was unable to aooede to the request. Mr H. W. Davy proposed "Trade and Commerce," to which Mr Tompkins replied, hoping the guest of the evening weuld do bis utmost to assist the country settlers and that when applications came before him for assistance he would do his best in the desired direction. Mr E. F. Eager proposed " The Local Bodies," to which Messrs Jacob and Dicken replied Mr Jacob hoped they would pray for the conversion of the Premier to see that the Local Government Bill as proposed Would be a serious disadvantage to districts like the Kiwitea and Pohangina Counties. He asked if the Premier wonld consider the advisability of reducing the rates of interest charged to local bodies for loans to 4 per cent, seeing the rates of interest to private individuals had been reduced and that the colony was borrowing at lower rates. Also, that the borrowing powers of counties should be increased. He said loan proposals amounting to L 30.000 had been carried in the Pohangina County and they could imagine how long it would take to get their roads made when they were only allowed to borrow L6OOO a year, bnt were prepared to rate themselves in crder to get their roads made. Mr Dicken condemned the proposed Local Government Bill and endorsed Mr Jacob's remark** with reference to the desirability of increasing the borrowing powers of counties and reducing the rate of interest on loans to 4 per cent. Mr H. Tolly, junr , proposed the toast ••Our member, Mr Pirani, M.H.R. in a complimentary address Mr Pirani was received with loud applause and in his remarks he stated he had always voted with the Government in no confidence motions although he reserved the right to oppose and criticise all measures introdnced by the Government. In 70 measures passed this session he had succeeded in getting amendments cartied He thanked the electors of this distriot for their support- Mr Dicken proposed "The bridge contractor, Mr Sinclair," whom he complimented for his work, and Mr Sinclair replied. Mr T J Clapham proposed " The ladies and Mr Seddon replied. Mr W. Vicary proposed the "Press," to which Mr G. Kirton (Feuding Stab), S. Andrew (Rangitikei Advocate), Petrie (Otago Witness) and F. Pirani (Standard) replied. Mr Kirton referred in complimentary terms to the courage and per aistence of the men who went into the bush to hew out homes for themselves. Mr Seddon proposed " The Chairman," which Mr Guy replied to. All thertoasts were drank with musical honors. During the afternoon, at the bridge demonstration and in the township, and during the banquet proceedings the Apiti Brass Band, under the leadership of Mr J. Curreen, discoursed sweet music. The whole of the proceedings during the day were very enthusiastic and Apiti was visited by a large number of outsiders, many of whom went there for the first time.