PROPOSED BRIDGE AT HAMIL. TON PUBLIC MEETING.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 649, 18 July 1876, Page 2

PROPOSED BRIDGE AT HAMIL. TON PUBLIC MEETING.

A Puet.ic Mkitixo of thu inhabitants of Hamilton and surrounding dist iotj was held on Saturday afternoon, at the Public Hall, Hamilton Easf, " to consider tho bpst coumo to bo adoptei for the erection of a bridge at Il'jmilton." The meeting was convened to be held at the Royal Hotel, but, at the hour of meeting, to largo wai the throng, that it was rc3olvod to adjourn to the lurge Hall oppoaito, whore room was found, and the business was proceeded with. J H Seddon, Esq, J P, having been called to the chair, opened the meoiing by roadiug the advertisement, signed by the Chairmen of fie several Boards, and called upon Mr Potter to road the first resolution. Mr Potter t&en moved as follows :— ' lit That this meeting feel the imperative necessity exiting for the erection of a bridge over tho Wuikat* River at Hamilton, p.s tho present punt U altogether inuf l equnta to meet tho requirements of the traffio at present existing, and which ia dailj increasing. 1 He staLed that ho was mn thtre to recommend tho project. There wis no need to do that. Tho nee ssity had long since forced itself uyjn orery resident, and they were daily reminded of it. 'The? bud met, piep.ired to advocate an obj'cb of vital importance to tho district, the erection of a bridge ts connect the Waipa nnd W»Kat3 districts — tue East and West ' •Uoj of tho Waikato Eiver. Some little time ' since, during the- Defence Minis er'i visit, the Chiirmen of the townships, anJ othen, had waited on him to press tho mitt >r on hi* notice. - They then represented the nec-antj lor a 'bridge, the absolute want of better means of crossing the river, andtbo utlor inadequacy of a punt, not merely for passongor traffic bub for the c irriage of goods and produce, and that tho carriage of bulky and heavy produces wus practical/ shut out altogether. The Defence Minister was a*ked to take tho increased, and daily increasing necessity into re-consideration, -an J as tho bridge had been refused by tho Government, on the pica of insufficiency of fund?, he (Mr Pottar) pointod out A •chemo by wbiob. it might bo constructed — the procee is of certain General Government reserve! skirting the townships on cither side the river. Thfl answer of tho Native Minister was, 'That in the view of the approaching meeting of the Assembly, Government would not feel justified in undartaking tb.3 work, but, he hoped the time was not distant when tboy would be entrusted with local powers, and have more practical management of their* own affairs. This was one of the subject* they would then be called upon to consider.'- In plain words, the county muht rate itself to construct this work. He did not think it right or just that a mum highway of the colon y should be left achargj upon local board?. The South was very differently treated. There, many largo undertaking* were corned out by the Government, and in plnces of far lo«8 imp >rtance as regards wealth nnd population than the Wnikato. All he aiked was equal justice. Mr Potter quoted statistics to show bow much mo-e l-ir^ly the Government j had in such matters asiisted pjrticular districts in the (Hugo, Canterbury and Nelson Provinces, and in Tarunaki ; while here, t.»o important districts weie left pract.cally unconnected for want of a bridge. Ho instanced tbe case of tho Waitara bridge in Taranaki, whore a- far more expensive work wia undertaken for a population uoitJuor larger jior wealthier than would be benefitted by a bridge at Hamilton, Considering tbe f tct that the road that would be bridged was th» main trunk road of the colony they ! were entitled to look to the construction of the brsdcfo by the Gorernment — not as a favour — but as a rieht. The motion was seconded by Mr J B Whyte, whe^poko to the prising want of suoii communication felt by tho sit.tlere, and tho hindrances which w«r« thereby pluoed in the way of settlement. Tho motion was then put und carried unan'mously. Mr Loncbottom, Chairman of the West Hamilton Town Board, them moved tho second resolution) and in doing 10 ezpresaei his satisfaction that people were losing sight of distinctions between Ea*t *nd Woit, nnd this and that di«trict, but were met from all parts of tho distriot to promote an underlining of general necessity and utility. Mr Colo man then ccconded the resolution, which wu» as follows :-' That in xion of l.ho rnilway being shortly opened, th'S meeting feels assured that unless a bridge is erected, the whole of the setters on the east side of the river, will be entirely debarred from using it for tho transmission of goods." Carried unwtimouMy. Captain Steele, J P, in moving the third resolution, which was as follows -.— ' That the gross mm at pesent taken in tolls at tho punt (for tho privilege of follecting which, a sum of £350 ii paid jcarl.O wouM give intorttst and sinking fund on a sum sufficient to erect a bridge which will satisfy iho requirements of the district,' said that he believed a substantial timber bridge could 1)8 erected for less than £7000, and he was at a loss to conceive how it was that so important a dibtriot was left without so necessary a work of the kind, when it could be secured for such a sum. The punt was utterly unfit for tbe work, and its uso was attended with delu}', danger, and difficulty. (Mr Steele here referrel to the srene of '.error and confusion which occurred aorno weeks ago, when a furious horse, crossing with two other saddle horses, a carriage, and several footpassengeri, placed all on board in imminent danger, and a fearful tragedy was only averted by the dogged courage of one gentleman on board.) , At to the paying character of the undertaking, he thoroughly believed in it, and wih melinrd to back Inn opinion, and was prepared to rent it irom tbe Government for eevea

rra'-a, whci c»m >lpted, at a yeirly rental of £7i)o, the tolls ciiarnmable to bi> no more than at present, charged at tho punt. Tlie GoTcrninpnt scarcely peeinnd to know thoir own interest in tho matter, for tho bridge was of raoro importance to tho railway they were now constructing than they appeared to suppoie. Withont a bridge, the railway wonld not tap t'je traffic of the extensive country on the east side of (he river. Even tho difficulty of crossing-cattle now put aitop to the tra la in cafc'le bHweon persons on cither si.le, but product, it w.is impossible to send across oxoept at) a noli coit as ii runJer it unprofitable to do so. If there were a bri lgo the present traffic would bn at oncu doubled. He thought tho settlers did not reqnire a fancy bridge, but limply a plain substantial structure, and he was informed on the authority of a competent engineer that tnch a bridge could be constructed for less than L7,nOD. But even though it cost LI O,OOO lie thought they were entitled to ailc the Eovcnim»nt t.j un Jertek? it, for tho traffic would pay five per cent and linking fund on that amocnt. Mr McDonald thought the moeling had nothing to do with whrther it would pay or not. It was the duty of the Gorornrneut to undertake a work of tins m<tgmtud« which was beyond the means of locil board*, And y -t of Mich necessity that its want pro«sed ino^t injuriously on tho pro»pevilv of the nettlrrs, and I ho general welfare of the Waiknte district. It was tho interest too of the Government; t > fio it, for the want of a budge would cut off one half of the WsiWato lr»fli<; from the railway which traversed the other side of the rircr. He pointed out root only tho inadequacy, but tho daugcr of the present punt, and ended by sreoning the resolution, which was carried without a dkionticnt roice. Mr Jtthns recommended th&t any memorial to he prepared, should erplnin to the Government tho actual >aluc of the tolls colleoted, Tho f illoning rmoUition was proposed by Mr Cu'nming and «o -nnded liy Mr Johns : — ' That tho Urge sum of L2O 000 in two inniactions be•icler unaller partiumt*. have bcei: received by tho Q-overnment for lind in thi* distiict ; and lint meeting is of opinion that the settlers hare a jint claim on tho Government for the exponditurp of a portion of t han sum in erecting a bridge at Hamilton.' C»rri«d unanimiusly. It wis than jj'-opojpd by Mr Poacook and •jftpomioi by Crept McPherson 'Thit a«-otnmitlee oo'ij stmg of Maws Sp Idon, Clando, Cumming, t'i>ttcr; Oi»pt Sleo'.e ; Mewrs Longbottom, J B Wliyt*, and McDonald, he tpponted to draw up a me'noraal to the House of Reprei^nUtiTes embodying tho foregoing resolutions, and tnat a cony oF thn resolutions he forwarded to the Minister of Public Woi'rtS, tlirouqh the members for Wulkato and Waipa, and be signed by the chairmnn of the various Highway Boardi on behalf of this meeting.' Tho resolution was carried, and a rote ■of thank* to the chair terminated tho proceedings.