THE SHANNON BRIDGE.

Shannon News, 21 July 1925, Page 3

THE SHANNON BRIDGE.

DISCUSSED BY HIGHWAYS BOARD

Tiie annual meeting of No. 9 District Highways Council was held last week at the office of the Kairunga 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 he had been a little lax during the past year, it had been due t-oi pressure of business. . ‘‘There is a lot ol correspondence about the Manawatu River Bridgelet 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 be 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 further action. No local body could do much until it was known where they stood. If the matter .rested alone with Manawatu and Hor-owhenu-a Counties, they would be certain of their position, but there seemed to be some confusion about the legal aspect of contributions from other bodies.

“We might, ask the Highways Board that the Act be 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 would 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 th.e 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.