OTAKI BRIDGES.

Shannon News, 20 December 1929, Page 4

OTAKI BRIDGES.

COUNCIL DECLINES TO REDUCE AMOUNT OP LOAN APPLICATION

TE HORO RIDING SUFFICIENTLY BURDENED.

A communication was received by the County Council on Saturday from the secretary of the Local Government Loans Board, acknowledging receipt-of the Council's application for sanction to raise a loan of £I3OO for the Waihoanga bridge, in the Otaki Gorge. He 6tated that investigations were being made in accordance .-with the governing Act and rules of procedure. It was noticed thnt the Vaimgata bridge, which the Council proposed to demolish, was: originally erected from loan money, i.ad the ioan which had been raised f. : this purpose had not yet been red. :med. It was very doubtful whether ixo Board would agree to the cost of den-. .Ishing this bridge being included ui the present loan proposal, especially ;.s the amounts for the year ended 192.) showed a substantial credit balance in the riding account, which should be available to meet the cost of such work. He asked to be in-omed whether tl.e Council was prepared to reduce the loan to £9OO. The chairman said that this was a case whe. o a full knowledge of all the facts had not been before the Board when it came to a conclusion. He thought that there was other information the' Coi:nc:l could place before tl.e Board which would justify the Council in saying that it could not reduce the loan application from £I3OO to £9OO. While the Te Horo riding account showed a credit of £BOO at the end of last year, over'£4oo was used for reducing the current year's rates. The rates were to-day very much higher than they had been previously, with the exception of last year. They were comparatively high in rclaaou to the rates for this County. The Council hoped, by careful management, to further reduce them in the .coming year; but it could not do that if it had to find the amount suggested by the secretary of the Loans Board. vVhile there might be a credit balance of £4OO this year, it would not do for the liability suggested to be incurred by a riding such as To Horo, which included several mountain roads, on which it might be called -to spend £3OO or £4OO after very heavy rain, by reason of repairs to bridges or the removal of slips. The riding had to be run with a certain credit balance; otherwise it would find itself in difficulties. "We are compelled toi make our accounts' balance," the chairman added, '' and we have to carry a little more forward than would be necessary under ordinary circumstances. A Ibridge has to be replaced before March 31st, for which no provision was made, and it will cost £150." He moved that a reply be forwarded stating that the Council was not prepared at this juncture to reduce the amount of the application to £9OO, and that the reasons which he had outlined be stated in the letter.

Cr. Ryder seconded the motion, and it was carried.

Not an Objector to Bridge Sites. Mr. D. Blackmore, Te Horo, in a letter addressed to the chairman, denied raising any objection to the placing of the Waihoanga and Taun-* gata bridges as proposed by the Council. He wished to have his name, withdrawn immediately from ,any objection made. His name had been brought into this matter without his knowledge or consent.

The clerk stated that Mr. Blackmore's name had appeared as in the objection lodged by. Messrs Joy and Barker..

The chairman said he thought .that Air. Blackmore had done) quite the right thing by writing this letter and clearing the air. At no time when.he had spoken to the chairman had he objected to the procedure that the Council was taking. It appeared that his name had been attached to the petition which the Council had received from Messrs Field, Luckie and Wiren, and without his sanction or knowledge. The chairman moved that Mr. Blackmore be thanked for having put 'this matter right, and "that a copy of his letter be sent to the Local Government Loans Board. This, the chairman said, would show that the objection was not worth very much. The motion . was seconded by Cr. Colquhoun, and carried.