THE SHANNON BRIDGE

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2912, 21 July 1925, Page 3

THE SHANNON BRIDGE

DISCUSSED BY HIGHWAYS

BOARD,

The annual meeting of No. 9 District Highways Council was held last week at the office of the Ivairanga County Council, the chairman, Mr J. Hannah, district Public Works Engineer, presiding.

Mr Hannah was re-elected chairman, and, thanking the country delegates for returning him to that office, said that, if lie had been a little lax during the past year, it had been due to pressure of business.

“There is a lot of correspondence about the Manawatu River Bridge—let us discuss that,” said the chairman, proceeding to business. “The Main Highways Board has put it on to the District Council to say who are to he the contributing bodies to the cost of the bridge,” he added, but pointed out the difficulty which arose through two boroughs being involved —Shannon and Foxton.

Cr. Monk (Horowhenua County Council) said that his council now understood that the proposed new bridge would not be on a highway, although the old site, where the punt was in operation, was on a main highway. His council wanted to know the position before it took farther action. No local body could do much until it was known where they stood. If the matter rested alone with Manawatu and Horowhemia Counties, they would he certain of their position, hut there seemed to he some confusion about llie legal aspect of contributions from other bodies.

“We might ask the Highways Board that the Act he altered to bring in boroughs as contributing •bodies to main highway works,” said the chairman.

Replying to Cr. Monk, the chairman said that the only way to get financial assistance from the Main Highways Board towards the building of a new bridge tvould be to have the new road to the site, where it was proposed to build, constituted a main highway. It was eventually decided that the matter would have to be held over until a meeting of executives of highways districts, to be held in Wellington, whereat consideration would be given to the matter of the inclusion of boroughs as contributing bodies and to the declaration of the road to the proposed new bridge as a main highway.. Cr. .Monk said that his Council had ignored the private report obtained by the Shannon Dairy Co. on the possibilities of repairing the old bridge.