COUNTY BRIDGE LOAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81864, 13 October 1906, Page 2

COUNTY BRIDGE LOAN.

The Taranaki county bridge loan, raised in 1903, has formed the subject of much discussion recently. The total amount of the loan money made available was £ 12,900* *;r 4 per cent on llie total valuation of the county then existing. The Treasuiy has aheady been applied to for ,£10,221 17/10, inclusive of the bridges authorised at last meeting of the Council. As the loan moneys are to be distributed among the three ridings in rat u of the valuations, the following figures should prove of interest t" county ratepayers. I'lie Moa riding, 011 a valuation of /•s<)>V>yi, is eniiihd to the expends Une o| £5200. and has already borrowed ,£37X5 13/6, as under:—Waip.tiku bridge, £549 10/3 ; Ngatoronui, ./.1030 3/3; Manganui, £tooo; Piakau. /'750; Waiongona (half share) i ; -150. This riding may stii| draw /■Mt-t which will ha'rdly be sufficient tor one or two big works already belore the Council. Waitara riding, valuation ,£410,219. has done fairly well out of the ,£3550 allotted io 11, having already applied for X--l'>34 7,' X. and Ihe loan account is now overdrawn to ihn a|noui|i of 7/tS. Of ilie amount ap[)lied for, yJ-500 is for the Waiwakaiho bridge, io be erected. The figures are ; Waiongona (Snake) bridge, £^4 ; Waiongona (halfshare), near Ing.cwood, .£450; Waiwakaiho. .£2500. The Omata riding's share is .£4150, 0.1 a valuation of .£477,928. Of this X.2401 iO ,X has been applied for, as follows;—Uerekino bridge, /'4Ol H'X: Tapitae, _£i2o,,-. Tapuac, ,£800: leaving 1 .£1748 3 4 stil available The iotal amount o! the unexpended loan money is £>(,7B 2 2, which n ill not be nearly su)he|en; lio replace the bridges that. will bedeme unfit for ir-c in the next few years. /\t (he last Council nieei ng' it , v: ,s decided to have plans prepared for 111'' reeonsiruclion of 1 "pjohn's inidge over the llenui stream on the junction road, and for a new bridge over the Waipuktiiii stream on 1 lie Mountain road, near fanki. At thai nvvtipg, too, :1 f Omata nding- members mentioned ! lint several ol lite bridges in (hat tiling would soon have to be renewed. and in addition to this Iho Council has io lace {he fae( ihat the Oakuia bridge will rei|iiire f;;r more |h,-in i n'' iini'itiiii hoi rowed for It. All tilings considered, it is patent ihat die county ratepayers ar „ j n oin 1 loan yel. Tlic amount of the ix'i;' rate, however, would probably be t:i)!'iig.