HAMILTON BRIDGE. Meeting of Members of Highway Boards.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 661, 15 August 1876, Page 2

HAMILTON BRIDGE. Meeting of Members of Highway Boards.

A meeting of the memben of the rariom Highway BjsMs in and around the townships of Ha i.ilton East cmi We»t, wai held in the Hami ton Hotel on Saturday Int. There were pr«*ent Messrs Hay. Potter, Claude, Hume, Cnmmip". Rotliw»ll, Gaudm, and Jo ica, representing the fol 'owing Boards : Hamilr n W=-t, Hamilton Ea-it, -Ki'ikiriroa, Tumaht-ra and Hmnil'On. Air Cumin ing was roted to the chair. Mr H*y, u oonrener of th» meeting, opened the proceeding. He read the oircular convni q the meeting, and th c nail that he w,is authorised to conreitn them by the b >.ird of which he hid fie honour to be chuirmin, aad wat mra that Ihe object was one which woull at once com -o end itseU to erery one in the di»trict. An absolute and urgent necessity existed f >r the immediate construction of a bridge at Hamilton, and he thought it vvas-he especial and impe'atiTe duty of th >sa to who*« care the Highways were entru-trtd to sen that the Government should be remindei of their duty in thi* matter. For this reisou the m etinz hid been o tiled, and it win to be ho ied that it would decida upon sone course of action which, energetical y carried out, would f>p>>-dilly result in success. While recognising the import mcc of tha o-hei aettlemen a in Waikito, hthought Hamilton was peculiarly the locality for the construe ion of a bridge, being on the g'eat highway to the South, tho centre of a large di-.tri.jt adap ed for ajrii-ultural purposes, and geographical y and LOoimari-ially the centre of the Wmkito and Puko districts. The gross r caip « from t ie frrry, he though , could b-j fair.y estimiUl at £459, and he wjs prepared to stuto, from an estimate received by him, which he w mid pro luce, t hit the bridge could be erected for less than £5000. A an inveit.men*. for capital, it was u goid spe illation The exoen hturo or" t'ns sum w s na more thm Waikato h id a fair r ght tj d'man.l from the Government for one of its princi jal thoroughlar*-". Hitherto, when daputa thus hid waited uuon me ub^rs of the Government, t ley hail been courteously received, but the intei views were almost invuitl/ly unsiitUfaorory, and resulted in D)thi ig. II>) trusted that in Iho present case, they w<;ul>l b- able in the future to point co tao briJge as a result of tills meeting. i\ir Jon u » su'l thit ons thing s'ruck hm, the yorocnin^nt now ii office ha 1 borrowed millions, and they ought, of tunr own accord, to lay it o>i»; in repro ductire workn. In pljca of being asted fjr a bridge. Gofer. im-*nt outfit to do it of tne r own te: >rd. T>iey hid mule a r.ulway toHimilti>a, and now they should orovide a mrnns of acco3< to thit railway for the sett'oru of tho district. It waa by refusing to ennii; in reproductive worli-s tha'. ttiey had f,irt>n room to tha Oppisition to oivil at their policy. Tho bn lg«» *ikd for wasc'carlf a nece-siry p»rt of •hetr poi •), nn I aho n wo k t >at wonld piy itself. He was jurprued at their apathy in the "niter. Sir Gumming agreed with the lust epeAker. He cuiuiilerad that the bridge must b • m at reprodu'jtire to the G-orarn-ment. He then read * letter from Mr P Lrahe (Chairman of Ta.n-ihere Dutti-t Boar 1 excusing his noi a'tenditoce on the ground of illness, and nq'iesaii* Mr Cummin^ to act for hii Bmrd in the mitwr. Mr liay also male excuse for Mr White, chairman of tie Kinkinroa tiou-d oa the g(OUfidtaitpres»in. buiiuesi demanded his presence m Auckla id. Mr Hay then pnrlucei ai estimate of a b'iJ^o over thi Waikito lliver at Hamilton, w'uch hai oeen canDilrf.i by All* W H Clark. Soina <i sultry onrpran^. ion tben endued as to the height tin bviiqre • .ould b ■ comtiuptc'd u^ove the hi^htut kno^rn wtter mirk. It was thought tint ten t et n «i^f*to'l in \tr Cie.-k'i estimate vtoul IDo »L'»i»ether too 'i tb. There appeared to be a general nn,jrostion tha' Lwentv f ot would he tho lowest altstuJe con-i-teut with »ift>. Mr Potter ea d the qiiMtnn wai thin, if t'm Gjrcnin'nt; w mid not plto a • uJi>-u*nts • in ou the estimates tocofer'hy .t lole expon -ei, how far would they go. If they woul'l do n>thing, the pople mu<t form a omomiy, mid do il th-ui-i-I?hs. Ha ihon.'ht therefore, they ou,ht to insist th»t the Govn.n uont i<h >ald tluin a piiviledge to h trp Iho matter iv th.;ir owu hmJs by iint'ioriiinj thsm to d»i O2t to-ils, and bj hinJutg -ver the own reservß* ni^d ian U. He di I nut b^liere tb it traffic would ever b< rtiveri.e i fro n it< present ohmnel. Sma'l porti >.ia if it might be sj diTei-.eJ, but Htinnton nuit rom un tiio grj»t ceitre. Ho ujr c I with th convenor of tl.eir in eiiug (MHiy), but tie wont evn furthjr. lie th 'light ie wia the ab-ulutj duty of the Gtvernm-Mit to bu\ld tlio bri 1 jo. He t loug'it thut t-hey s'iou'.d know flrst if ihe Cr.>vernm ut wodl<i bmld ihe b id<j<;. Second, if they refmed to wliat Hifc'iit woull they support the loc^i fin Is. Third, if they would give notbug what cmne thoild then betaken. Sir D. Mi-Lean* ttUiAer to thin hvl been thit the lU'noy should cim-i fro n th". I 0.l fnii'l-i, available und-)r the Couut 64 Bill. If as it hn been stit^d, th.it thu bridge shouln lorm) a connecting Ink b'tieen Au-klaod «n 1 Napier, vrhy should not the funds como from th-i (jenocnl revenuo. It appe»r<"d to lu-n tuat it h v ifro tr«'i»tijcl with oijtiiuiDi by thi- ( jro»'>rn u-nT; of the day they should ipped lo thft Legisli'ion itse f an I •giioruruthaGovernm*nt. They could shew fhat \Vai<atohil hai no aid from lh> tfup'nnten to it and Prorinoiul C>u cil, an i all they hid from the Geie al <JJ- tvemraeat was scar;ely worth not o^. they had made all the public lmprovem n'l with their own rut-s, supplemented by i ho raiseruble pittance rh.tt ihe Gauerni tiovernmont doled out to them in proportion to thrt rates collected. Hi wonld oirtainlv abvocit' >in appeal by petition to t.ie Legisl iture itself Mr llu.ue thought thit ourmetub-rs | shou d be commuiiicitotl with, to ur^e th< niattw up>n the Govmrn'ot, and to enquire whether, and t? what ext'nt they mi^lu r>ly upon Gjvenirfjent aid ! Mr Po rer . At all evenN, we »hould know whether in default of dire t aid M* Govon.me it wonld gire us p)we n „vr t• 1 and vest town lands in us a* t"ii->tees for tie purpose of ab i !g>. Mr Cum nin-r -u«g>st'd, fiat perlvios a br dsje mi^ht even now b? in contemplation, in aniwer tnm mori\l which had alr-aly been sent. Mr H-ir thrtii mored ' that a commiltne to c msisr of the chairman of the H»mi!ton Wctfc

Pistric Board, aud the Htmilon Ea*fc Totu Board, Kirkmroj District Hi^hwiy B ard, an<i the Tamalieiv DisrLt Boar s. and Messrs Potter and Viahu to dr<»* up a p-ti'ion for tin construction of n bri.Jge across the Wuitato River at lamilton, euch petition to beaddrnri'd to tho House of Parliaan>ut now in 'Ses<i)n, and lo get inch petition signed by as m*ny inhvbitanti of YV..ik.»t>M p s^i ile. THp petition to he forwarded la tlie enl c t date looir represeutatirei; soco ideii b/ Mr Kothw 1 , and oarned. Mr Hay mo j eii tliat the lommittee be be iiuthori-<ed to emploj persons to obtain aignatures to the pei^ion, and thtt the expense bj borne in equal proportions by the five Bomk Srovid.d by Mr Gaudm, undcarr.ed. The meeting then deporud.