OPENING OF THE TAUERU BRIDGE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4908, 14 December 1876, Page 6

OPENING OF THE TAUERU BRIDGE.

.. - (BY TELEGIiAPB) ; ~j (FROM OUR'OWN CORRESPONDENT.) t - Masterton, December 5. A high holiday'was observed in Masterton . and.the .adjacent districts to-day, on the occa\oxjl of the opening.of the Toneru bridge, » Indeed, holiday symptoms were not wanting., on 'the previous evening, when‘the whole i ship of Masterton and hotels were crowded by an* influx of visitors 'from distant parts,or.ths ’Wairarapa, and. a number of guests. from Wellington; invited,-by the,committee whe -had -undertaken the • arrangement -of - the opening) ceremony..» Bunny, • Administrator '• -of: tho T '.PwivinciaJ district; his Worship the Mayor of Welling; ton • Mr.! Buckley, : Provincial _ Solicitor ; am others. The morning-broke with every indi- . cation of aiwarm'day,’and tho indications wer« fulfilled,.but the heat waa tempered by a-plea-ifiant breeze.' ..The- whole proceedings .Wert under the direction of a committee of management, the'members of which carried out theii onerous duties in the most admirable manner The committee consisted of 'Messrs. Yalenfim - (convener),- GilHgan,, Williams " Wylliei .Girdlestone; Caselberg, Chalmers, ant Garrick (hoa. J seo,);, \ ~ At a little after 10 o’clock a processioi was form,ed at the Club Hotel, Masterton ■ hehded by ,J .a coach containing' the .Master 'tom'Brass- Band. 'This was’followed by \ break, ou which were the „ convener o the committee, the ''Wellington visitors) ant Miss Beetham, of Brancepeth, who, as will bseen, subsequently took an important, part 11 the proceedings; Next followed the vehu:! 1 carrying the committee,' and thou a very^larg rnumber lofTprivate". traps and, of . The Hde.tbthe bridge, which is situated ab<>U nine miles . from Masterton,, was through country,perfectly beautiful: in., all the richnes ‘of natural- and', artificial vegetation, and ror *dered - most picturesque by, the diversity, o landscape it afforded to the travellers. Ther were plaip,- and hill, ami • dale, and mbuntai glade,.’apd. : woo J 'dladd clothing many a slopi Th'e* procession..arrived at ■ the bridge abpu twelve o’clock, the band .playing, most apprt "griately “ Scenes that are'Brightest.” > . * The members of the committeethenproceede -to the first, pier.of the bridge, and there halte ■ and received Mr; Bunny,;who had i on his. an Miss Beethamy and- was.'followed by! th .visitors,and general public. . .0 Mr, Variance then welcomed Mr. Bunnj and Mr. Caebick read .the following address —“ To 'Henry Bunny, Esq., General Goverr meat Agent for the provincial district of-We. -lington and Deputy-Superintendent of th late province. Sir, The settlers .of . th Taueru, East Coast, and \\ afrarapa generall desire to congratulate you on,the occasion c -this your visit for the purpose of celebratm the completion* of another-of-the useful an Important""’public 'works 'undertaken. an carried out under” the auspices of the lat provincial administration, .of which yo were . for a lengthened . period an activ member. • The' advantages a work of th kind will; copier on the neighboring settlement "are palpable, and need not be here enlarge upon.' It is a work.of-more than mere loci "importance,! tending as 'it does, to open up th .more, remote..inland*■.districts, .and- promoi settlement . by ; means of [.increased arterii communication throughout the colony,; and: I a, protective means against the sacrifice of lil and property, this bridge is a t matter;'th greatest convenience to, the, settlers, .and..th travelling public generally.-. .These, are a ie of the ■ reasons, which.-have. -induced .us to as you to give ,the opening ceremony the.publi significance-which your lengthened connectdo with- the* administration of tho affairs of ,tl late .Provincial’, Government .is well j cal ciffate to do!- We have'therefore'respectfully t to;r( quest that lyou, will} formally, proclaim ,-th Taueru • bridge {now about being, .named-b Miss Beetham), open for public traffc.-r-rC./i Yallance, Chairman Bridge Committee.’’ , !' Mr. Bonny, in reply, thanked Mr. Vallant and the 'committefe for the kind reception, at corded to them, as well asifor the address; an said that while it was melancholy perhaps; 1 think that this would be one of-almost the laf official acts performed in connection with.th province, yet there were certain reflectioi connected with it that brought satisfactioi When Mr. Pitzherbert, five years ago, ha called him to the . Executive, the only bridg in the district was that over the, Waiehin river) but, now they!",themselves, knew Ijc widely spread’were such works. Miss ’ BEETBfin then advanced,’ and bavin most .scientifically, tapped -with a hammei headed'whip .a bottle of champagne suspende to one of the ties, in a. few well-chosen wore hoped that the .time would be! long befoi another structure would be . required in th same place. , , .... . The whole party ! then ’returned to .th vehicles, and 1 having passed across, the bridg paused on the other side, .whilst Mr. Tait, t Masterton,hoolc:si phdfo..of the whole.. A dispbraion was then, effected.for,a..tim, and at rieafly .all'_assembled_agai in a marquee- erected near the bridge, ,whei a very excellent dejeuner had been prepare by Messrs Clayson and Thompson. Over or hundred ladies and - gentlemen, sat down 1 table, the . chair being, occupied by Mr.,Va lance, who had on'his.right baud Mr. Bunn; and on his left Mr." Beetham, whilst in his in mediate vicinity were Messrs? Buckley,! an WardeU (K.M.), Eev. Mr-. Knell, and MJessr Hutchison and. Watt (Mayors of Wullingto and ! Wanganui respectively). - Mr.,'.Georg Beetham occupied the vice-chair. The lie’ Mr. Knell said grace, and after .the lunch ha been done ample justice to, the usual lays and patriotic.'toasts were-proposed by th Chairman, and received with due honors. . .. Mr. George Beetham then rose, and sai that it had fallen: to his lot to.’.propose th toast of the day. It had been urged to exclud politics, but he scarcely, knew--how. to.do thi in proposing the health of Mr.'Bunny, whbi hebad known as a friend, and aa one foromoa in politics. , ;Ai the end of Mr,, Bunny’s :pro vincial career he (Mr. Beetham) was: glad t see that he had been appointed Provincial Ad ministrator,' which . he ■ (Mr. Beetham), in. : speech at Grey town, two years previously, li'ai recommended. He felt sure that cveryoneb the district would "be "glad to welcome , Mr Bunny ' on any occasion.. .. The toast wa drunk with due honors, .'■ Mr; Bunny returned thanks'for the Idni and cordial manner in which his* health ha< been received. He was glad that politics hat been, excluded, as discussion was ,by, tha means,prevented.* He i was addressing then like a schoolboy before the-holidays.. In si: and twenty days he .would, comparative!; speaking,-, retire into private life ; 'but-unti his death he .would-Always -look back satisfaction to the seven, -years - during- whici he had’shared in the administration - of th< province, ) Whatever the -changes were that had been brought ■ about, he thought it was th( dutyof the ’people to'-carry out ‘that changt which Parliament had legalised. . !He wovdc now bid them an Official farewell, but befort doing so asked them to fill their glasses anc drink > the real' toast of the day, “ Miss Beetham.” , The toast was-, received > mosl enthusiastically,,. Mr. Hugh Beexham returned thanks on hehalf of his sister.. :- v ■< .....; .1., Mr. Wabdele proposed the,"Health of tht late Provincial'Executive,” which was.,responded to by Mr. Buckley. The health :of the i “ ;of ithe. Pro vince”, was -projxised by Mr. Tolhoest, and responded to by;Mr, Eitzhebbert; juh. ! .<•' «.r,. 'the toast of “The Contractor” was proposed by Mr. Gloria ak, - and - responded' to - Ijy Mr PBANOI9. ■’ nv, . i.\ ■Mr; Hooker proposed the health of the -guest commenting on the distance from which visitors had,"come.; Ho connected, with the tpast the name of Mr. Hutchison, Mayor of )V)ellJrigton, Mr. Hutchison, after .some preliminary ternaries, said that, although he’ was. only noiv making acquaintance with tho district, he had long taken an interest in ' it in a quiet wiiy Among his first experiences in tlio' Provincial Council of Wellington (an institution going down among dead and almost forgotten things))- were ,; attempts to support* tho* member lor. Wairarapa in developing the resources of this fine .district, ~ IJe member loj;_ ; Wanganui (of,,which ho waa

still proud), because he believed in no -but a - friendly'rivalry ; -the -settlers of each-, district _imprQvißg.-theb.;own:.'proporties, andj ■lending-Ahand to the public improvement; for ■ ithey werer'aH' part and proportions of]', wej whole, and if there should he a friendly .rivalry ; between '-one l district ’-another,, hjreyl wonld-’pefmit , hirii'‘fo 'say 1 that'-muchl.more) shouldthere ", be’’billy -,'a rivalry , between the'seve'rol'parts of our.distnots. 1 ' 1 He j ■ventured to aiiako thisremark, because.he -had i occasionally seen attempts made'io Bet np’one township and-’ one ' assort of semi-j i antagonism to auother’ townyhip' and another j 1 -district: -’This, - he’-considered,was; a’-mis-t take. There-was : ho 1 more - calmest-advocate \ ■ for “settling!“the!7cduhtfy ,I'with, „a cPU-Tf 13 / i bus; population- 'of .Jyeom/ipry,' iw10,., would ■ ! become' tlicif'coun try ’ s'.pride, than he; I ‘Was, 11 and. let'-!.there ; ,be small' farms’- by allj i mean's j_bttt‘ there'was _rqom_.alsQ ..for "large j j Tfarras, at)d for They iwere ■ j '.necessary to the development of the , country ; i and instead.of,being pitted against.each other, should all 00-oporate to one ' advance* the interests ,of this new country,, | which they had made a home. for. themselves i and their children—a country' in which educa- ] | .tioh, > and * comfort: .shduld ibe widely j 1 and 1 i;. -The i remaining, toasts, were: .‘.‘-Thai Pastoral, ' Interest,” proposed by * Mr. 0. Pharazyn,; | and-responded ltd WyMrJßarton; “The Mayor, t of Wanganui,” proposed byoMr. ,I.Williains,; i and responded to by;"Mr. Watt y . “The.Kcsii dent Magistrate‘of ! the Wairarapa,”' proposed: by Mr. Buckley, , arid- responded to by- Mr., 'Wardell-,' ‘‘The 1 ’ -Clerk' of ‘Works,"proposed j I by thei’Chairmah,'''-ahd responded to- by Mr. | Chamberlain;, d'TheOliaifman,” proposed,by | Mr; Watt;' and (,< The Press,”-proposed by Mr. '! WAMdll, ivnd ''responded : to by 1 stf. “ Perrier;. of ■! : thd v !N'.‘:Z; I urged. J th&:necessity-of '> I -duly ■' supporting ’' the ‘ local. W airarapa “Press.. The ‘th'eh , -c6holu'ded.; ''Several , ' of I I the compatiy'tpont 1 a -few hours : enjoying'the hospitality of Mr. GUligan, I 'whose 1 beautiful ■ homestead! is'in the'Tmmpdiale" neighborljood , s ’of the bridge.'' " f A 4 The bridge is in three . spans, of r 85ft,. each, •• andfivdof 30fij. each.*.; The. height;froin,,the : bed of the fiver to the top of the floor. is pi ißft. ' About two huuilred thousand, feet i of, timber was "used -m. : its' "construction. litis ,an i ifpn-gifder"bridge, there; being three, spans, of 1 'girders and! five of stringers.," The work was 1 : begun on the.Bth of Mjarch, 1875, and ft was 3 finished, at -the' end 'p£ , William ikancis.'.was' bontfabtbr,; Mr.,W. E. »■ Chamberlain,'clerk .of works. -It has cost : a. ’■ little oyer. .^IQOO. 1 1 Mr., Grilligan, resi- ’ deuce,'as’l Have’said; is 4n the neighborhood, afforded, the .utmost facilities to the, contractor 3 in getting a' supply, of, splendid timber, from 3 his bush ; in fact, bad it not beenfpf the.fapili--7 . ties afforded.by_Mr._GilHganl..tlie. bridge could E not baye been built at anything like its present 7 costl The piles in. the .'first span have been 1 sunk 30ft., tp,the bed, of the; rook; those in the 1 centre are budt and; braced.;