OVERHEAD RAILWAY BRIDGE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 217, 31 July 1914, Page 4

OVERHEAD RAILWAY BRIDGE.

Those Rival Sites

An Informative Letter.

TO THE EDITOK.I

sir,--T«o petition* are being chelated in and around Tuakau, pray- | irg for an overhead bri ge acioss | the railway lines. A capy of or.e, in favour of t c t ridge being erected i over the main Hariisville road crossing, appeared in vour is ue of the 24th ir.st. The other peti ion, circulated by the Propies-sive asks fjr a biidije atuoss toe rail, at a sp.t fou.li of '.lie station building?, a d adj»ce..t to the trucking yards. With Mr Dromgcol's pe.ition every to ; y in tha district i) in sympathy, the Progressi.e League asked f r tie same L.idgc tome twelve or eighteen menths and met with a most tmphstic refusal, fcuch a biiJgc would cost £IO,OOO to contract, as kn; ramps would have to be provided to the several roads branching oil on either side. Apart frcm the ccst, it wculd form a pmxeLr.t for the consttt'eti ni of bridges across dangerous crossings, and there are many places in New Zealand with greater el. Lmi t-i Buch thaa iuakau. The League recognised this, and did not piv:s> for the m;in road bridge. Sinct the advett of the new railwaj station and stock yards the Lefgue has had many requests from Shetland cattle dealers ot W iramiam-, Glen Murray, Pukeka.-.i', O.twhero and Port Waikalo for a more direct and conve.iient approach tJ the trucking yards. The ma t-.r wis laii before tha Hon. to' ru:nr when he visited Tuakaj, at.d aa a result the Minister ef R iiwhva Ins advised the League th.t h woul.i giant a bridge across the tutii.g it tbc local body would in il the approaches the cutti-g i) a deep one ar.d the co°t ot bridging it would be sm-11, seme two cr three hundred pou..Cs. It is asked for mainly in the interests of the stjekdrovers, wha co.:ld drive their stock direct to the yauls without coming through the main Etreet of the townshir, and without havicg to get stock aeioss a level cro:sk:g.

Clause 4 of Mr Uiomgool's petition seems to hint that the League's petition asked for the main road croßsi g to be closed. Such :s certainly not the case, nor has any intention been expressed by the Kailway D:-partm nt, in any way whatever, of tioing so. It is true: that about twenty years ago the L)epartm?nt attempted to close that crorsiiig, but this was very forcibly and successfully resisted by the reside. t3. The assertion that a bridge over the mam road crossing would be lesa expensive than the one a;ked for by the League is abeurd. Ttiat the main read bridge weuld be the most convenient we nil agree with. Clause 3 ot Mr Dromgool's petition admits the desirability of a bridga (or stock, buth for convenience and safety, and for the best reason ol all to keep it out of the main s'reet. Preferriig to advai.ee a reasonable reqaest the League has atked for such a bridge in the place where it can be granted. Additional reasons for the League's request are: the convenience of tha I ridge for Wrn.ngarata eide in giving quicker access to the goods-shed, the co.venience to people having Lusine«3 Loth at station and good;-shcd, access to the station for Dominion road residents, and a mems of crossing the raih for anyone drivirg a restive horse, or who, for ary rea on, did not care to no s the metals.

Mr Dromgool's petiion is now before Parliament. Snould it be grantee 1 , everybody will be satisfied. Should it be rofus.d, th.n, for reasons already advanced, the L ague should have tne support of all in getting the alternative bridge. It may not be ot great use to residents in the immediate vicinity, but surely they «ill not advance that as a reason for opposing it 3 construction.—l am, etc.,

ONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO PLLASE EVERYBODY.