THE GLADSTONE ROAD TRAFFIC BRIDGE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 June 1913, Page 2

THE GLADSTONE ROAD TRAFFIC BRIDGE.

(To the Editor). Sir,—Judging by Mr Adkin's letter in Friday's Chronicle, lio is angry because the Borough Council refused to pay £200-a third of tin cost of his traffic bridge—and by al appearances "he won't be happy til lie gets it." Until Messrs Adkiii and Kay's request- lor this traffic bridgo came before the council., the neod of smother bridge had nevei beon once mentioned before either tin council or the water committee, am as I have sat continuously on botl bodies for over four years, I know a little about it. The question ol bridging the river was exhaustively gone into at the time, and it \va.< said at the council table that overtures had been made to the property owners interested, and that they refused to joiu us in erecting a bridge Hie present pipe bridge is a splciv did structure, supported upon inns sive re-inforced concrete piers; i cost £1000. is undostructible b; either fire, and material cai be taken over it at any state of tin river. Tt was built to serve oui purpose, and hae done so for nearb four yeare; why should we pay £20( for another? .Mr Adkin said in hi; first letter that the funnel was a. bi< menace, and that it was driver through rock and debris; that is nol the case; the tunnel did give a bit of trouble through atmospheric influence upon the rock, but the council took it in hand at once, and tei chains out of the eleven were linoc" with cement. Our engineer, Mi Climie. has inspected it, and say. , that it will give no more trouble That work cost close on £200, and ii we are going to spend another £20( we could spend it to better advan take in extending the mains than 01 that bridge. Whatever money is paid will conn out of the rates. When Levin wa; formed into a borough, the holding; of about forty small fanners wavi included in its boundaries: owing tr the high valuation within the borough those people have been hil pretty hard already by the watei rate. Ratepayers on a quarter-am pay water rates upon £50 worth o land, while the Kkicre man pays oi from £500 to £700 land value! am uses no more water than the other ft is obvious to anyone who knowi luything at all that the extra r,at< paid by tho farmer is really a con fiseation of his land values. So bluntly stated, the borough contri but ion to Messrs Adkin and Kay': bridge would depreciate the val'm of the land in the borough and ad< to the value of his. It will be sai< that the amount is very small, bul there are others—and all add up There is Mr John Kcbbell. who ask cd in the paper the other night foi public discussion on a Kchemo foi exchanging our 40-acre reserve neai tho lake, a pretty property, am' unencumbered, for the racecourse the ratepayers taking over tho liabilities of the Park Company. ;i matter of thousands. Then 'then is tho increase in the Hospital ;\m Charitable Aid rate, due to m.-my Wellington people who could weli afford to pay for it. getting five attention at the hospital. Also. th< Foxton Harbour Board asked foi &")00. or a financial backing to thai amount, to enable them to purcliaM the Koxton wharf at about ten time: its real value from the Kailway Department; we were to pay £2o pei annum interest. The Horouiienmi County Council was to pay nothing. J'bis was tlie most unbusinesslike iclieme ever formulated by a public iody, and T give it as an instance if what charges will be made on the •ates if ratepayers do not interest :hemselves. There are borough.-, •oar Wellington where the entire ■aluo of the land for farming purposes has been taxed out of it by the •ates. This will happen in Levin mless there, is a thrifty administmion of borough finance.—Yours. i>tc.

HV. B. FRANCE.