FRANKLIN-WAIKATO BOUNDARY BRIDGES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 215, 6 October 1916, Page 2

FRANKLIN-WAIKATO BOUNDARY BRIDGES.

Commissioner's Award.

At the meeting of the Franklin County Council held yesterday a letter was received from the UnderSecretary of the Public Works Department, Mr W. 8. Short, enclosing a copy of his repoit as Commissioner at the recenr enquiry held concerning the control and cost of maintenance of the Whangamarino and Mangatangi bridges with an intimation that in accordance with the same the Governor's warrant apportioning the cost as therein set out and vesting the control of the bridges in the Waikato County Council had been gazetted.

THE CLAIM

Tbe Commissioner, in his report, explained tbat the Waikato County Council claimed that the Franklin Council should contribute half the cost of maintaining the bridge over the Whangamarino Stream on the Great South Road, about one-and-a quarter miles from Mercer and also the bridge over the Maramarua river, both being boundary bridges inasmuch as the streams partly divided the two Counties. With respect to the Whangamarino bridge maintenance was fixed by proclamation in 1890 as follows, viz., Waikato Council 70 per cent, Mercer Road Board 12 per cent, Maungatawhiri Road Board 9 per cent, and Pukeno Road Board 9 per cent, and as the three Road Boards were now merged in the Franklin County their share of 30 per cent was being paid by Franklin County. The current apportionment for the Mangatangi bridge was Waikato County 75 per cent and Franklin County (for the three Road Boards already mentioned) 25 per cent. In either case the Franklin County Council refused to pay more.

" FACTB OF THE OABE."

Under this heading the Commissioner stated that it was contended but not proved that the respective proportionate volume of traffic and use of the bridges by the settlers of both Counties had not greatly altered since the bridges were built. It was, however, proved that the advent of motor cars and the development of the Hauraki Plains had caused much more traffic from outside districts to use the bridges. It was also proved that the stock traffic ever the bridges was a large one as between Thames andOhinemuii Counties and the markets and stock centres at Westfield, Pukekohe and elsewhere. A tally of traffic over the Whanga marino bridge was taken by the Waikato Council from January 22nd to January 26th, viz, for motor cars, vehicles, pedestrians, cattle and horses, the numbers being credited Franklin County 638, Waikato 647, other districts 65, giving a per centage of 47.26, 47.91, and 4.83 respectively. The results of the tally therefore strongly supposed the claim of Waikato County that Franklin should pay half. A. tally of traffic was also taiken by the Franklin Council for another period but as the tally clerk obtained no information as to the origin or destination of the traffic no results could be reduced therefrom.

A tally of traffic over the Mungatangi Bridge was taken by the Waikato Council from February 22nd to 28th and showed Franklin County 140, Waikato 172, Thames 24, Ohinemuri 1, Fukekohe Borough 52, and Auckland 3. Frankiin County also took a tally from February 23rd to 27th with much the same result. The result went to show that the bridge was of as much use to one County as the other and supported Waikato County's claim that each County should contribute equally K outside traffic was eliminated. Counsel for Franklin County contended that the Thames and Ohinemuri Counties should have been cited as parties to the inquiry but did not take any steps to cite them. The tally also showed that 12 or 13 per cent of the traffic concerned Fukekohe borough but neither of the parties contended that it should be cited. The bridge was only 71 feet long and as the cost of maintenance was small the facts did not justify the citing of other parties to share in such cost.

THE AWARD. For the reasons given the Commissioner held that the cost of maintaining both bridges should be divided in equal shares between the Counties of Waikato and Franklin, and as the claim of the Waikato Council had thus been substantiated he ordered the Franklin Council to pay £5 ns towards the Waikato Council's costs together with witnesses' fees on the Supreme Court scale.

On the motion of Cr Lyons the report was " received," no discussion taking place.