POWDERHAM STREET BRIDGE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 125, 24 June 1909, Page 4

POWDERHAM STREET BRIDGE

TOO ROTTEN .TO REPAIR. ANOTHER £3OOO'LOAN PROPOSED. The Borough Council on Tuesday night again discussed the matter of repairing or renewing the Powderham - street bridge. The engineer Submitted plans and estimates of an arch culvert and filling to cost ami); arch ..bridge, jMaOU; beam bridge, 0:2750; all in fcrro-con-crete. He recommended the latter scheme, and mentioned that the Council had, as the result of his recommendation, a line slock of clean beach gravel for the concrete work. Cr. Bellringer moved that the engineer be instructed to put the bridge m repair. He expressed the opinion that the Council eould not afford to rebuild the bridge now, and it was not only a most unsuitable time to go on the market 'for a loan, but also an unpropitious moment for approaching the ratepayers. He estimated that the bridge could be made safe for traffic for a year or two by the expenditure of £3OO or thereabouts. Whilst not questioning the engineer's figures, he would draw attention to the fact that all ferro-concretc bridges in this part of the Dominion had cost about twice the estimated amount.

Cr. Wilson: Question. Cr. Bellringer: I'm referring to the Taranaki County Council. Cr. Wilsoln: Their trouble was with earthwork deviations.

Cr. Bellringer: Well, there'll be earthwork here, too. Cr. Hooker seconded. He reckoned that there was a man on the Council Staff who could repair the bridge and make it fit to carry a ton for £IOO, or less.

Cr. Gilbert said that when the Council set about repairing the bridge they would find it would mean almost rebuilding it. If either of the previous speakers would guarantee ,to repair the bridge for the amounts they had stated, the Council might be justified in going on with their repair schemes. He had closely inspected the structure and had had expert advice on it, and to him this resolution meant dividing the Council between rebuilding in timber and concrete.

His Worship moved an amendment that the Council approach the ratepayers for power to borrow £3OOO at not more than 5 per cent, for the purpose of rebuilding the bridge, lie didn't believe that repairs at £2OO would last vcrv long. Cr. Browne endorsed the engineer's report. Cr. Watkins said that the present engineer and the two previous borough engineers had condemned the bridge. Cr. Bishop recounted how he had visited the bridge -with a practical man, and they- had found it -even more rotten than it looked. In fact, the soundlooking portion was the greater trap. Nearly every joint and union was' rotten. Cr. Dockrill commented on the fact that Mr. Grayling had declined to put his views in writing. He referred to the ease of the Heathcotc Road Board, which had received the ratepayers' authority to raise a loan, but they couldn't get a shilling, lie quoted the dillieultics experienced by several other local authorities in raising money at the present time, so that it was waste of time to put the loan proposals before the people. He complained, too, that he hadn't Sufficient information to justify him in voting on the question, and thought that another engineer should be asked to report. One way of finding out the actual cost of repairing would be to invite tenders for the job. Cr. Gilbert agreed with the last rc-

mark, and said that the conditions should be that the successful contractor should guarantee to keep the bridge strong enough to carry loads up to a ton weight for the next two years'. Cr. Bellringcr objected to the proposal to call tenders. The engineer could do the work more cheaply than anyone else.

Cr. West concurred. As to finance, he thought that the best plan would he to close the bridge except for passenger traffic, and set aside a fixed amount annually for a few years wherewith to pay for any new woi'k. It was a waste of money to try and r epair the bridge, and useless' to try and raise a loan. Cr. Hooker offered to justify the remark that there was a man on the Coiracil stall' who would repair the bridge for £IOO. Tlie engineer, in answer to Cr. Wilson, said that! if the Council insisted on it he would repair the bridge and do his best with it. Hut it would be sheer waste of money. It might stand for two years; it might not stand more than six months. Cr. Wilson said the engineer's reply was just what he had expected. Wheii he was previously on the Council Mr.

Kendall had reported On the state of the bridge, and repaired it at a cost of some ■■Clal), giving his opinion that the life

of the bridge .was about eighteen months. That opinion had been proved to be quite correct. He criticised the previous' Council's action in regard to this .bridge. They had put £7OO on the estimates for starting the work, and had then used that money .for other purposes. Was it any wonder that the engineer could claim that the Council had put up a record for new works last year? .Returning to the motion, Cr. Wilson asked if it would lie worth while to spend any money on repairing ii bridge that the engineer said might'fall to pieces within a few months of its completion. For his part, he was going to support the engineer's report. A new bridge must be built, and even 'f the money could not be obtained now, it would be well to secure the authority! He suggested that the Council might find out whether or not the Council could raise a bridge loan as the County Council had done, under the Local Bodies Loans Act, at 4'/ 2 per cent. Cr. Watkins gave notice of a further amendment to close the road against all .but pedestrian traffic for twelve months. Cr. Dockrill gave notice of a further amendment that tenders be called for repairing the bridge. The Council divided on the amendment (to borrow £3000). Ayes: Crs. Wilson, Watkins, Bishop, (lilbert, Browne, and the Mayor; Noes: Crs. Dockrill. Bellringer, West and Hooker. Cr. Dockrill proceeded with his amendment, that lenders be invited for repairing the bridge according to specifications provided by the engineer. There was no seconder. The Mayor's amendment was' put as the substantive motion and carried, Cr. Bellringer alone raising, his voice in protest. The Mayor mentioned that lie would be in a position at next Council meeting to bring forward the matter of purchasing land for the dill street extension, and it was decided to defer taking a poll until this had been discussed by the Council.