CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2400, 4 March 1922, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —In the report of the Foxton Borough/Council I see they refused to support the suggestion made by the Manawatu County Council, viz., that the Borough should to a small extent contribute to the road to be deviated near the Shannon bridge. It may be that some explanation is needsshry, and I crave space, as Chairman of the Manawatu County Council to make it. It was very properly stated by the Foxton representatives that the' first flood may easily wash the embankment away, and, the road as well, leaving Foxton without an outlet to Shannon, and flood a great part of Moutoa swamp. The matter is an extremely pressing one, and must be. done before winter to avert this damage. Our Council have no funds available. It may take, say £I,OOO to do the job. We want-to borrow this money, and the interest and sinking fund will come to £65 per annum. What we are asking the Foxton and Shannon Boroughs, and the Horowhenua County Council, to do is to pay toward this sum £8 each, and the Manawatu County to pay the balance. The reason fo_r asking this is that if the different local bodies agree we can get a warrant under the P.W. Act issued at once, without a poll, and borrow the money under the Local Bodies Finance Act, and start the .work. If the local bodies do not agree, then we shall have to ask for a Commission, which, would have to sit, take evidence, and report before a warrant could be issued. Meanwhile the tinie would have slipped away, and probably the embankment and road gone. Or, if one asked the settlers to find the money, we should have .to go through a lengthy process of advertising and waiting the necessary time before we could get a vote taken, and agaiu\thnt may be too late. • I think it demonstrable that Foxton is interested in the road as well as the bridge. All we ask the other local bodies to do is to agree to this small contribution not so much because of the amount, but because by doing so they will enable us to borrow the money without a poll, and get to work at once. The protection of the bridge is quite another matter, and certainly must be gone on with, but meanwhile if the bank is not kept up there will possibly be no bridge at all, or with a channej between it and Foxton. I think it is due to Mr Barber, representative ori the County Council for the lower riding, to say that he took on a large liability in connection with (he Beach road in order to give the Foxton people an outlet, to the Heads —we get some £6 a"year by. way of*rates from the settlement, and have to find a considerable amount for interest charges as well —and it would be helping him in his work if the Council would reconsider their decision and agree to contribute the small sum asked for. —Yotlrs, etc.,

.TAMES G. WILSON,