SHANNON-FOXTON BRIDGE.

Shannon News, 30 January 1925, Page 3

SHANNON-FOXTON BRIDGE.

NEW STRUCTURE TO BE ERECTED. AT COST.OF £IB,OOO. ' DECISION OF LOCAL BODIES. At a conference of local bodies held in Shannon yesterday a decision was Anally come, to in regard to tile mucn debated matter of restoring the shan-non-Foxton Bridge,’of which a span was washed away in the flood which occurred oil November 3 last. It

was resolved, alter various alternative schemes had been discussed and rejected to rebuild the bridge at an estimated cost of £IB,OOO, ,on /a site some distance higher up the river than the existing structure. Mr W. Murdoch, Mayor of Shannon, presided, (and the other delegates were: Messrs G. A. Monk (chairman of the Horowhenua County Council), Sir James Wilson (chairman of the Manawatu County Council), J. Chrvstall (Mayor of Foxton), G. A.- Murray, engineer (representing the Mam Highways Board), and J. Hannah, assistant engineer to the Public Works Department .A number of interested ratepayers in the various. local bodies concerned were also present. CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY NEEDED. Mr Murdoch said that they all realised bow serious was the situation which had arisen owing to the washing away of the bridge.. It was no use delving into the past—what had been done or should have been donehut to evolve a constructive policy to remedy the ’ present deplorable situation. ; Mr G. T. Murray (Highways Board) reviewed the various proposals which had ibeen ’made. To put in a punt was the quickest and cheapest idea, and this had been adopted, though the punt was not working yet. Eventually, of course, a new bridge would have to be built higher up the river, and the estimate for this, was £IO,OOO, which meant using the spans from tne present bridge. That was an optimistic estimate and did not agree with the Department’s view. A voice: Wliat is the Department's estimate?

Mr Murray: We consider that n would take at least £IB,OOO, which would include the cqst of the spillway and new road. Continuing, lie said that if the ' Manawatu-Oroua River Board’s scheme were put into operation it would reduce the stream to a mere trickle, and in that case the present bridge repaired, would do. That scheme apart, the Department recommended that the new bridge higher up the stream be constructed. A PRE-HiISTOPJC SCHEME. Mr W. E. Barber (Manawatui County Council) said that the ratepayers of his district had discussed the matter and had come to the conclusion that the putting in of a punt was reverting to prehistoric times. He .thought they should repair the existing structure. The 'Mayor of Foxton (Mr chrystall) said that his. borough was not greatly interested from a financial point of view, hut they were nevertheless interested in maintaining communications. He thought that if the engineers seriously considered the advisability of putting in a system oi groynes' to protect the present bridge, it would be a great deal better than to incur the huge expenditure involved in erecting a new bridge. Erosion would continue no matter where they put a bridge, so why not make tiie best oi what they had? HIGHWAXS BOARD’S THREAT. Sir James Wilson expressed ms pleasure at peeing the representatives of the Horowhenua County Council present, -thus acknowledging their responsibility In connection with the matter. There was no doubt tliat no one could argue with certainty upon tire actions oi the river—he. had been liviror beside «pne for 50 years and never knew what it was going to do next day. He read the following letter from No. 9. Highways Board: “in connection with the question of re-bndgtng the'Manawatu river I have beernmnstructed by the Main Highways Board to advise the local bodies concerned t)hat when the annual review of roads to be declared main highways is being made in April next, there is a possibility o.f this road 'being deleted from the list of highways, m view of the fact that it is not considered to possess the same, national importance as other main highways, and also in view of the fact that there is direct communication between Shannon and Palmerston North, ft is important that local authorities should consider this aspect when dealing with the question Of. restoration oi means of co'minanication other than the punt, which has already been built. The Board decided at its last meeting to contribute one-third of the cost of erecting the punt and constructing the approach roads thereto 71 1 • oaitAt rnr'Tr

PRESENT. SITE FAVOURED. Sir James Wilson gave it as ws opinion and as that of those whom he represented that it would not be wise to build a. £20,000 structure at the present time particularly m view ol the River Board’s new scheme, in any case, the river was such an uncertain quantity, that it seemed hardly wise to embark upon permanent and expensive works. They had watched the movements of the rivei for a great many years past and the indications were that the thrust ol the river was shifting southwards with the result that it would tn' bank at a-point lower than the picsent. If this proved to he conea tlie the bridge on its presen. b te voiil i be comparatively sale. . lh 1 f pSp in advised that they repair and extend the present bridge, and ttien wait and see what the result of the. Rivei Roaid's works might be. THE PUNT A NECESSITY. The Horowhenua County representative. (Mr G. A. Monk) said that Whatever .ultimate scheme was decided upon, the erection of the punt was justified. It might be prehistoric, but. the necessity was urgent, fOT communication had to be kept open. He denied that " the Horowhenua County had been a little dhy 1n connection with the matter; he thought that it had been very active throughout. He was not going to argue as to which

type of bridge was to be adoptedmat was lor engineers to decide—not for laymen. A voice: But we have to pay lor it. TALKING—AND PAYING. Mr Monk; ExaoUy, and that is wnut i want to make clear. The people who are going to .benefit ate those who should pay, and of that I would remind some ol' the others concerned wlit'ii the time comes to pay.” sir James Wilson, he said, had recommended erection of groynes, and possibly that would be .very good. But, here again the question arose, where was the money to come from? If some of the local bodies had to pay according to the noise they made, they would Tina themselves heavily involved. He did not want to recriminate, but it was evident that the Manawatu' County was vitally interested, and they should be prepared to pay according to 'their prospective benefits. One of the questions winch would have tu be discussed was the allocation of cost and a decision would have to be come to. liie Highways Bourq actually, had the power to allocate costs among the different local bodies without deferring to the opinions of those bodies. ASSESSING THE. CONTRIBUTIONS.

Mr Murdo.ch; But surely it is not right that the Highways Boards- should be able to levy a charge upon the bodies when those bodies nave absolutely no say in its deliberations? Mr Murray; The Board has that power, though it had not exercised it as yet. Sir James Wilson said that he would be quite prepared to agree to a ruling as regards cost made by the Highways Board. Such a ruling he knew would be fair. Further, if all the contributing bodies were agreeable, they could get a warrant and raise the money without going to the ratepayers lor ft loan. Mr Murdoch pointed out that the counties were represented on the Highways Board, hut the boroughs were not. There was nothing fair or equitable in the proposal that the borough of Shannon should be levied on for a certain sum, without having any say in giving that amount. Shannon was willing to . pay—had previously volunteered to pay—hut they wanted some say i.n the business. Mr Murray brought the mind of the meeting 'back to the punt by reminding’ them that it was going to oust £ IUOO, and this, had to be apportioned among the. local bodies.. Were they prepared to pay the amounts for winch they were assessed? This, provisional assessment was as follows:-*? Horowhenua County Council £150; Manawatu, £200; Shannon Borough, £100; Foxton Borough, £SO. MR MURDOCH OBJECTS.

Mr Murdoch: But that is altogether unfair. Why should little Shannon be asked to pay £IOO, when the Horowhenua County, with ten times the valuation, liras to pay .only £150? Shannon cannot and will not pay itMr Monk; It is. not a question Qi valuation, but ol interest. When tins bridge was swept away, promiiieht men in Shannon _s.aid that if the bridge were riot restored Shannon was doomed. Mr Murdoch; What nonsense. It would have been nothing of the kind. Sir James Wilson, while considering that Shannon’s assessment was fair, deplored the bickering over such a matter.. What they wanted was to restore communication and to do it as quickly as possible. .Mr Murdoch then put the following motion to the meeting: “That tins meeting is, of opinion that the present 'bridge be repaired and extra spans ibe added and sufficient spillway made for the flood water, and protective works be made to, ensure as far as possible the safety of .the bridge, as soon, as .•practicable.” HASTY ACTION DEPRECATED. Mr Monk warned the meeting not to he hasty. They were not against a very difficult problem, and they could “not solve it by passing the present resolution. This proposal was directly against the opinion of the engineers, and he did not feel justified in sanctioning the expenditure of £9OOO o.n a scheme which had been adversely reported upon by experts. TEMPORARY REPAIRS ADVOCATED

Mr Chrystall moved as an amendment to Mr Murdoch’s motion; That this meeting supports the recommendation of the Highways Board that a temporary structure costing £ISOO be erected.. This scheme was one recommended by the Department on condition that the interested. local bodies contributed . two-thirds of the cost and guaranteed to replace the bridge should it be washed away. Mr Murdoch agreed to withdraw iiis motion in favour 'oil this amendment. Sir James Wilson deplored the erecting of a temporary structure. Fie would prefer to see the original molion adopted.

HIGHWAYS BOARD’S ATTITUDE. ■Mr Murray said that he wanted to make the. attitude of the Highways Board clear; The punt was there now, mid it would have to be made selfsupporting as far as possible, and for this purpose, it was suggested that cars, and vehicles not belonging to the contributing local bodies should be charged a fee. In regard to the alternative proposals, he wanted to point out that if it were decided to make temporary repairs to the present the Department would bear one-third at the cost. If a permanent bridge were erected on the new site, it would contribute half, but it was. very unlikely that the Board would contribute anything towards a permanent structure on the present site. Sir James Wilson pointed out tnat a permanent structure on the present site at £9OOO would still be cheaper than paying half the cost of a £20,000 bridge on a new site. If everyone was satisfied that the present, site would be suitable, they might later be able to convince ft-he Highways Roard to subsidise them, notwithstanding Mr Murray’s present pronouncement. HOROWHENUA FAVOURS NEW BRIDGE. Mr Monk said that the Horowhenua County Council was. in favour of a new bridge, and could not agree to

permanently repairing the present structure. Mr Anderson (engineer) said that a spnirdiy-iegged temporary structure would have no. chance standing hours in a heavy flood. SIR JAMES WILSON CONVERTED. Sir James Wilson said that rather than let the conference break up without coming to a decision, the Manawatu County Council. would agree to tire erection oi a new bridge costing £20,000. A voice: But that will lake, two years; what will we do in the mean-' tune? •- Sir James Wil.son: You will’ have the punt. * Mr Pigot, who declared that he had had 'sixteen years’ experience in working punts, said that the present punt was absolutely useless—it would be impossible to get a vehicle, or to get stock on to the punt. Mr Monk: Our engineers are prepared to stake-their reputations that it will work,, and it’s going to be made ten work.. Mr Chrystall revised bis motion to head: “That this {meeting of local bodies recommends that road communication should be restored at the earliest possible moment to the districts interested by tire , construction of a span or spans (piles to be permanently driven) at the. present site with suitable protective works at an estimated cost not exceeding £2OOO/' This motion was put to the meeting arid lost, after which Sir James Wilson intimated that lie was prepared to move that a permanent structure cos.ting £IB,OOO or £20,000 be erected. NEW BRIDGE PROPOSED.

Eventually, however, the motion was entrusted to Mr Monk, who moved that the conference adopt the No. 3 proposal as recommended hy the engineers, namely that a new bridge, on a pew site, he erected. Sir James Wilson seconded this. .Mr Chrystall. strongly opposed u, saying that the expenditure of £IB,OOO was excessive. Therefore, lie would move as an amendment his former motion, with the deletion of the maximum post figure. The amendment was seconded by Mr Murdoch. Sir Janies. Wilson, in justifying' ins support of a new bridge, said that he was actuated .by what lie beilevedi best for the county as. a whole, even though it might he against the wishes of those immediately concerned. The amendment was. then put and lost, only Mr Murdoch (Shannon) aim Mr" Chrystall (Foxton) supporting it. The motion, in favour of building a new 'bridge was carried, being supported by IMr Monk (Horowhenua), Sir James Wilson (Manawatu), and Mr Murray (Highways Board).

THE NEXT STEP. In response to a query as to what the next step was going to be, Sir James Wilson explained that nothing further could, be done., until the proposal lor the erection of a new bridge wa.s laid before and approved by the Main Highways Board. MAIN HIGHWAY OR NOT. Mr Ehrystall •brought up tile matter o; the letter from the Main Highways Guard, intimating the possibility oi the. Shannon-Foxton road being deleted from, the list of main highways. What, he asked, were they going to do about it?. Mr Monk said that there was tittle possibility of such a drastic action being taken without consulting life local councils, and that, would afford an opportunity of making representations to the Highways Board.

Mr Murray said that the trouble was that the Board was finding itself faced with greater ’financial, obligations than it had anticipated and something would have to be cut. out. Their funds were limited, arid if they retained all the highways, H would simply mean that they would have to cut down the expenditure at pi'eseut proposed for them. Sir James Wil.son said, that he wished to enter an objection on behalf of the Manawatu County to the proposal that this road should he deleted from the list of highways. It was a. very important thing to the County, as it was necessary to have an alternative route in case the Fitzherbert Street bridge were washed away. or. SOLUTION OF PROTEST.

Mr Chrystall moved that the meeting enter a protest to the District Council against the proposed deletion. LOi,- u.as put'to the meeting and declared curriedMr Monk said that he thought they woniu Dc unwise to carry such a motion; it did not seem to him quite <in order. Mr ChrysuUi had achieved ins object in giving tne matter publicity.

Mr Murdoch said tliat the motion was canied, and that ended the mailer.

Mr Monk then asked .in whose hands was to be placed the control; of the present, punt. Someone would have to take charge of it, and perhaps the Shannon Borough could see its way to lake it over.

Mr Murdoch; Not on your life. The Shannon Borough does not want it. Mr Murray said that as the bridge had been originally in the hands of the J-lorowhenua, County Council, the Highways Board would probably recommend, that the punt be also, administered by them. The meeting decided to adopt tins suggestion and to support the proposal I hat the Horowhenua County Council should take charge of the punt. ; When Ihc proposal that a vote of thanks be carried to the - chairman was minle, Mr Chry stall rose and said that he had to sympathise with the Mayor of Shannon on the, decision that had been arrived at that day. It was a great hardship on the citizen* of Shannon and on the settlers im-mediately-concerned that so long a period should have to elapse before a suitable means of communication w.as provided. “The /fast has not, been heard of this by any means,” he declared. Tire meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman and to the Highways Board’s officers, Messrs Murray and Hannah, for their attend, ance.