PROPOSED BRIDGE OVER THE WAIPA AT OR NEAR TE RORE. PUBLIC MEETING.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1192, 17 February 1880, Page 2

PROPOSED BRIDGE OVER THE WAIPA AT OR NEAR TE RORE. PUBLIC MEETING.

A public meeting of the ratepayers of the Pirongia Highway district, for tteh c purpose of deciding on the site for the proposed bridge, was held at the S.ohoolhouse, Harapipi, on Saturday last. There were about 20 ratepayers present, and the chair was occupied by Mr Sherret. The chairman having read the advertisment calling the meeting, expressed the hope that whatever miarht come before the meeting would be calmly discussed, and that every one would be accorded a fair heaving. He then called on the Clerk to the Road Board Wx James Sherrett to read a statement prepared at the instanoe of the chairman. The Clerk then read the following statement :— As the Board thought it best before proceeding; any further with the business in connection with the bridge to call a public meeting of the ratepayers and lay the whole matter before them, I shall now proceed to give a brief account of what we have done as well as a statement of our financial position. Of the £4000 grant for roads and bridges, the district got £944 10s 9d. The Board made this sum up to £1000, and the whole was deposited in the bank, at interest, to be kept for building the bridge, expecting 1 Government to supplement it. Mr McMinn, the late member for \Vaipa, got a promise f<om the Government of £500, and the County Council of Waipa voted £50. We then asked Mr Stewart, the District Engineer, to inspect the two sides, one 12 chains above, and the other one mile below Te Rore. Mr Stewart sent his assistant Mr Hunter, to take the sections at bDth places. He found that at the lower site the bridge would require to be five champ long, and at the upper site it would require to be ten chauis long or five chains wfth earthwork. 'I he Board submitted the sections to a practical builder for a rougfh estimato, with the following result : — Cost of bridge below Te Rore, £2,700; above Te Rore, £3,400 or £4,000 This was a cher'k but we were not cast down, and as Mr Whitaker had just been elected, the matter was placed in his hands to apply for £1600 His silence at first made us doubtful, but the news Roon arrived that he had got the money for us, for which we tender him our sincere thanks. This sum together with the money referred to above, with interest added, bangs the t tal *-o £3,205, but deducting 1 the amount promised made to Mr McMinn by the Government as doubtful, the total would be £2805. After a considerable amount of very desultory discussion had been indulged in, Mr Hodgson, chairman of the Board, said he had seen Messrs Whitaker and Stewart, on the occasion of their late vi&it, and had asked them what steps were being taken by the Government in regard to the matter, Mr Stewart said the Government would give £1,60 D towards the bridge, and asked if the Board was prepared to hand over the money in the bank to the Government, in order that the latter misrht construct the bridge. He promised to lay the matter before the ratepayers, and hence the present meeting. They had only about £1000 in hand, and the bridge was likely to cost £3000. It was for the meeting now to choose the site and to decide whether or not the money should be handed over to the Government. Mr Thompson thought they ehou'd at ©nee take a vote on the question. The matter had been arjrued for the past two or three years, and he would therefore move " that a slip of paper be prepared, with wo headings, one *Te Rore,' and the other • below Te Rore,' those in favor of each site to sign below one of the headings." Mr J. gave his reasons for supporting the lower Bite, as follows : Fir-t, the river banks were better at that place, and the bridge would be cheaper, safer, and shorter ; second, a road from that site would bring the district two miles nearer Ohaupo, where the cattle sales were held, while the distance to Alexandra would only be increased by 30 chains. He was quite disinterested, but in the interests of the district he preferred the lower site. The proceedings at this stage again became the reverse, one or two persons conducting themselves iv an absurdly stupid manner. The chiirman had several times to cnll the meeting to order. Affcpr Messrs Sage, W. James, Neal, and Thompson had severally spoken in favor of the site at Te Rore, \fr McMinn moved the following amendment to Mr Thompson's motion: — " J hat this meeting declines to recommend either site, but if the Government are willling- to take over the management of the whole work, request the Board to hand over the money deposited in the bank for the construction of the bridge to the Government." He thought there ought to be unanimity on tho subject. He i. i%ht tell them that tho Te Rore site had been fixed on. Mr Horsburgh seconded the amendment. Sever.il membars stigmatised the amoudmont us an attempt to g.ig the opinion of tho settlers, ani ou bojug pnfc

to the meeting it was lost by a large majority, and the original motion was then put and carried. About fourteen persona then came forward and signed their names in favor of the Te Kore site, not one signing the opposition. On the motion of Mr Sage, it was resolved unanimously, to request the Board to hand over the money now in their possession to the Government to build the bridge, and after a vote of thanks to the chair, the meeting separated.