TE TEKO BRIDGE.

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 18 November 1913, Page 3

TE TEKO BRIDGE.

AN ASTOUNDING STATE/MENT. . An astounding statement has 'beeii received 1 (says: the' Whakatane Press) by the Secretary of . the Rangitaiki Settlers' Association, in connection with the proposal of the Minister for Public • Public .'Works- to construct a ■ bridge over.the Rangitaiki river, on the main coach road, at Te Teko. The Association's secretary was instructed to make ■enquiries from the Department as to when the work of constructing the bridge would be commenced, and the reply stated that provision had been made on the estimates for the Te Teko bridge, but was. not yet authorised by Parliament. When the previous correspondence between .the Department and the ' bodies interested in the matter is recounted, the position reached ' appears to be entirely bewildering, arid grossly unjust to the ■ settlers and others who have • patiently waited so. long for the " promises to be "'fulfilled. In October, 1912, the Minister for Pub-' lie Works addressed a letter to the County Council, in which it -was stated thrft Cabinet had approved of a straight-out grant of £8000 for this work. Then in December of the same year, in ' reply to enquiries as to when the 'Department intended to commence the erection of the bridge •the Under-Secretary stated that it was the intention of the Department to carry out the work simultaneously with tta erection of the Wairoa Bridge in theTauranga Qounty, and that plans • were not quite completed, but he ■ hoped tliat a start would be made • with the work shortly. . It might also be pointed out ■that the work of constructing •the Wairoa bridge has been in progress for many months uast, but beyond an inspection of the \ site by the engineer, no action appears to have been taken to further the erection of the Te Teko bridge. This is unmistakably a retrogressive state of affairs, and as the Te Teko bridge 1 would confer greater benefits on ' the settlers and travelling public, ! being one of the most important coach routes of the Dominion, the claims of this work should have met with more consideration. It was mainly due to the efforts of Mr W. D. S., Macdonaid, M.F!., that the amount was placed on the Estimates for_ this work, and we feel , convincec that were the local bodies t( ' again approach Mr Macdonald or the matter a satisfactory, expla nation would be forthcoming.