THE MANSE BRIDGE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1545, 21 August 1886, Page 2

THE MANSE BRIDGE.

TO THE EEITOR. Sir,—Will yon d*.ign to turn aside for a moment from those national concerns which lie upon your mind to the much humbler, but also much nearer, question of the footbridge over the Temuka river. A Temuka correspon-, dent wrote to a contemporary paper on Wednesday that this bridge was impassable. He probably meant that the river was impassable by means of the bridge, which is a very good bridge "so far as it goes," but it does not go nearly far enough. It is still—Friday at noon—useless for either pedestrians or horses ; and I wish to call the attenlion of whatevpr public body it may concern to the urgent need there is for a longer bridge here. There is a proverb which runs somewhat to this effect: " Never 6peak ill of the bridge that carries you' over," but the bridge in question does not carry us over, and takes us only to a point, between which and the wished-for shore rushes a rapid stream of turbid brown water. If the aforesaid public body, whatever it may be, replies that the bridge is long enough at ordinary times, when the river is low, i must in return remind you that this is the third time this winter that the way to the township has thus been closed against travellers on foot. A minor matter is that the sloping approach to the bridge on the town side has been wrecked, and is a dangerous obstacle, apart from the water below it. Again humbly soliciting your powerful aid in the matter, I am, etc., JB. Durant Cecil, The Mansp, Friday, Aug, 20, I«S6, J