The Shannon Bridge.

Manawatu Herald, 8 April 1902, Page 2

The Shannon Bridge.

We should very much like to sea a bridge erected over the Manawatu river near Shannon, and we trust it may soon be ,an accomplished fact, but if it is not built the fault will lay mostly with Mr John Davies, the chairman of the Horowhenua County. The success that has attended his peculiar manner of conducting public business on the south side of the Manawatu river has blinded him to the fact that others prefer communications to be conducted in a conciliatory manner, and that threats and bounce are more likely to set persons against a scheme, which brought, otherwise, judiciously before them would have received their support. To tell a neighbouring body that they will be forced to do something about which they have not quite made up their minds to support is going just the way to gain a strong opposition to any proposal. Unfortunately this is just what Mr John Davies has been guilty of, and crediting him with a better knowledge of human nature, his action bears the appearance of a desire to seek that obstruction which he otherwise suggests he regrets to And. The ways of a politicien, they say, are devious and deep, and' to such some members of local bodies appear to think it well to add exaggeration. Some time last October, or early in November, Mr John Davies informed many persons both in Foxton and Shannon that he had the distinct promise from the Government to find one-half of the cost of the erection of this bridge. As the Government are not in the habit of hiding their light under a bushel, and the statement had not been publicly made by any Minister, we took exception to the statement, and, though the one-time rabid Tory, John Davies, has we know, but not for what we know, thrown himself into the arras of the Government, it was a little too unlikely that the Government, old campaigners that they are, were going to make a secret promise to a chairman of a Road Board, without the backing up of an influential deputation, so that we took the opportunity of meeting the Hon. Mr Duncan at the Palmerston Show to ask him if he had ever made any such promise. To this he gave a most emphatic negative and declared he had never heard anything of it! The truth of this statement has now been shown by the report of the interview of the two members of the Horowhenua County with the Minister of Lands on Friday.- Mr John Davies was one of the deputation and then asked the Government to provide half of the cost of the bridge! Why was it necessary for Mr Davies to ask for this if it was true that he had already the promise of this amount in November last ? The Minister promised -to bring the matter of the grant before Cabinet, making it plain that up to that date there was no promise made.

Wa also notice that in making this application of pound for pound, Mr Davies made an assertion that the Manawatu County Council and the Foxton Borough Council would “ assist ” in providing the remaining £2,500. It may be that it is thought to be unnecessary to pick one’s words in making applications for money from a Government, for otherwise the term “assisting” in reference to the last two named local bodies, is incorrect. Possibly by the Act, the Manawatu County can bo called on to find part of the cost, which will be only the way that County will “ assist ”; but as regards this Borough the peculiar manner in which the interview was conducted by Mr Davies with the Councillors, and the unfortunately too emphatic expressions of opinion, destroyed the chance of his obtaining the “ assistance ” of the borough, and we doubt if the force of a Commission would even succeed in such an object. All this is very much to be regretted, and it would have been more fortunate for the realisation of a bridge near Shannon, if the man whom the district south of the river, delights to honour, had possessed the power of a lion combined with the meekness of a lamb. It is true, as from time, immemorial that a soft answer turneth away wrath, and the reverse, the creation of unnecessary friction and upset of well-planned schemes.