"LIKE THE DOOR SPIDER."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 13, 9 February 1909, Page 4

"LIKE THE DOOR SPIDER."

HON. A. W. HOGG'S OPINION OF GOVJSBNMKXT ENGI X IiICRS. Ekutahunu, February u. The Hoil A. W. Hogg opened a Haw- ' son suspension bridge over the Makakuhi at Hamuli this afternoon. The bridge has J 14ft. span and is 10ft. wide, witli a breaking straiu of 58 tons, and a total weight of 12ton carrying capacity. The contract pricii l'or erection is £338. A vote of £2OO was made by tne tloveriunent, and the settlers interested, agreed to rate their properties in l'uhiatua county i'or X2OU During a speech, tiie Minister stated thai the engineer* of the Public Works Department, Jike the door spider, w-jre content to work in one groove. They iuoked upo:L the Dawson suspension bridge with cositmnpt, yet the designer was a practical man of 20 years' experience, and knew more about bridge construction than so-called engineers who despised his work. .Mr Dawson never . yet erected a bridge which could not ; stand any test applied. The diftereut I liovornment Departments were progres- , sive in everything but bridges, and in i these were content to erect neavy oitmbei rionie structures at big expense, wliicil should be carefully conserved and placed in the-museum as a monument of the work of present-day engineers. Had tlic Government i ,, ngineers consigned the present structure its costs would iiave been live or six times greater, and consequently prohibitive. Jt was necessary to give settlers facilities to progress, and the Dawson suspension bridge should be geneViiHy accipted for its cheapness and durability. Mr Dawson afterwards state I that he had built nine suspension bridties of his own design, representing 12!)1ft.. a total cost of £4720, v»r about 15s per foot, lie hud built a bridge over the liaiigitikei river at Ohingaiti for the Government with a 320 ft. span at a cost of .tSOOO, or i' 24 pev foot. Heliad also erected a light traJlie bridge at Mangaweka at a costs of £4OOO, or £l3 ,i foot. A bridge of his own design, 300 ft. span, was built over the Ilutt river for £1")00, which he guaranteed was even' bit as strong and lasting as those to be erected for the Government, lie felt satisfied that if the Government engineers udopteil his style of liridges it would more than save the honorarium of the whole of the Ministers for one year. .