PUNEWHAKAU DISASTER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 224, 16 January 1911, Page 3

PUNEWHAKAU DISASTER

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL'S ATTITUDE. The Clerk of the Stratford County Council (Mr. C. Penn) has received a telegram from the chairman of the Council, Mr. G. A. Marchant, who left Stratford on Thursday morning fdr the purpose of interviewing the Hon. R. MeKenzie, Minister for Public Works, regarding a grant from the Government to help to repair the damage done by the cloud-burst at Punewhakau early in December. Mr. Marchant in his tele-; gram mentioned the grant of £2OO, of which the Minister notified Mr. J. B. lline, M.P., under date January oth, and proceeded to state that a loan proposal for bridges would now be necessary. The position is that it has been decided to erect bridges in two spots to replace the road which was washed away, and as these bridges will have to be regarded as new bridges and not as repairs to the road, they cannot be built with money out of any sum set aside for repairs to roads. A loan cannot be raised for repairs to roads, and, therefore, at next meeting of the Council, on January 18th, Mr. Marchant will move that a separate rate be levied on the Mangaehu riding for defraying the cost of necessary re-; pairs to the main road.—Post. '