Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCT. 17. 1896. A Bridge.

Manawatu Herald, 17 October 1896, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCT. 17. 1896. A Bridge.

We do Dot wanb to repeat ancient, history, but still, to make our suggestions plain we shall have to lurn over a leaf or two of past pages. It is nothing new our desiring to have ! a bridge over the Manawatu River, as the possibility of obtaining such a boon has been canvassed again aDd again. Within the past two years the subject was again referred to and advanced a stage by there having been a meeting of representatives of local bodies, but, so like public men, a leader not having arisen in their midst, the bridge was allowed to collapse from want of energy, and disagreement as to the erection of the bridge at somo particular site. Our Shannon friends then attempted to display a little push, but they leant too heavily on Government support, and so came to the ground. Thus the past shows nothing satisfactory achieved, nor does it offer a picture which the residents can feel proud of. It is therefore time some better effort was made, and as the general election and the Mayoral election will soon be on, we cannot have a better opportunity of ventilating the want of a bridge and the means necessary to be taken to secure one. We all know the procedure under the Oounties Act, and therefore we need not recall it, except to say that we would suggest that Act being used as the foundation of any pro oeedings. The neighbouring public bodies are in favour of a bridge, but a oertain number want it placed at one spot whilst others require it placed elsewhere. As our town will be much benefitted by such a bridge, our Mayor should take the leading part in ascertaining the probable cost of such an erection, which could, we are sure, be had from the Government sufficiently accurate to base any calculation upon. We know our Shannon friends were bluffed on their making such a request, and were assured the Liberal Government would send engineers to the sites who would report ; but, like the flax commissioner, no reports hava ever yet been made. If the Government have been in earnest these data will now be procurable, but if not, still the sine of the bridge is pretty well known, as also its cost. The Mayor could then get the Manawatu County, the Horowhenua County, and the Wirokino Road Board represented, and ascertain if it was possible to arrange a fair proportion of payment, but above all things to agree upon which place over the river it would, in tha interests of the travelling public, be best to ereot a bridge. This is most necessary, as by a resolution of both counties the cost of large bridges is borne equally over the oounty, and therefore the general, and not local, interests must be studied. When this has been done, the new member for the electorate should be approached upon the question of ! Government aid, say pound for pound, and then the Government itself approached. We cannot see where the difficulty comes in if pro I perly prepared data, and general I agreement by the local bodies as to site, is obtained It U evident such a.n agreement would cut the ground from under the feet of the Government in pitting one site against another, and thus during the wrangle to wriggle out of doing, anything. To make our position still more exasperating than it is, the Government, in their Public Work:) Statement, publish photographs of the Lyell Road Bridge, Nelson, of 836 feet, the Pelorua Road Bridge of 180 feet, Henley Road -Bridge, Otago, of 480 feet, and the Ngaruawhia Road and Railway Bridge at Auckland of 880 feet. We can all feel assured that the Government, with that modesty which so well beooraes them, would never have dreamt of priding themselves on the erection of these bridges, as they have done by having the photographs attached to the report, had they not built them out of the Public Works Fund, for had the local bodies built them the Government would only be strutting in borrowed plumes. To the settlera who have lived for years in the district and have Been the waste plaoes populated and made beautiful and productive by private enterprise, it is galling to find their interests neglected whilst the plaoes we have nanud have had such useful structures presented to them. We would not be a party to asking the Government to build a bridge wholly at their expense, but we think the cost should be divided between the settlers and the Government. We ( have daid previously we think (hat

all bridge? should be built on such lines, and no one district should be favovred more than another. If we take the cost of such a bridge at £8000, and the local bodies found half, the yearly interest at five per cent, would be only £200, which would be recouped "by tolls. The matter is one which We feel an ardent and practical public man could easily carry through, but it will only be by making tho founda* lion sure.