GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL

Press, Volume L, Issue 8482, 13 May 1893, Page 9

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Geraldine Coutrty Council was held at Timaru on Thursday. The Engineers submitted a special report on the Opihi bridge. They reported that- the bridge was in a decayed and delapidated state, and in their opinion had been unfit for heavy traffic for a long time pasc Had it not been for the constant attention bestowed by the Temuka Road Board the Council would have had to amend it.long ago. It had gone from bad to worse, the planking and joists were badly decayed on their bearings, and decay had set in in several parts of the structure. They thought that nothing short of complete reconstruction would be of the slightest use, as it was useless to put a new deck on a semi-rotten foundation. They proposed then to deal with the original length of 1500 ft only of bridging for the present. The road traffic would continue to use the Temuka end of the bridge for a length of 750 ft, thus crossing the main stream by the bridge, then descend from the bridge to the riverbed by an embankment, cross the riverbed, and pass along a short piece of road at the southern end of the bridge and so back to the main road. This would provide for the road traffic in a safe and as convenient a manner as possible. The stream at the southern side of the river would be diverted to the northern channel so that, except in very heavy floods, there would be no water for traffic to cross. They estimated the cost of dismantling and rebuilding the bridging, 1500 ft in length, at from £2200 to £2500. It entirely depended on the condition of the timbers, which would be revealed when dismantled. The estimate could be reduced, perhaps, by £500 or £600 if less expensive timbers than ironbark were used. It was for the Council to say whether this should be done. The Engineers thought the money would not be well saved. Before very long it would be | necessary for the Council to consider the question of reconstructing the remainder of the bridging at the northern end.- It was decided to go on with the work at once. On the motion of Mr Mackay, seconded by Mr Quinn, a motion was passed expressing deep regret at the death of the Premier and Bincere sympathy with Mrs Ballance in her bereavement.

A discussion took place on the question of enforcing the by-law to compel owners to clean races or to pay the cost of cleaning them by men put on by the rangers, and it was agreed that the by-law ought to be enforced until the ratepayers, in some combined manner, demanded the adoption of some other system. Members said the Committee system would suit small districts, while it would be very difficult to get men to undertake the oversight of large districts.

It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Talbot, seconded by Mr Howell—" That the Geraldine County Council signify to the Ashburton County Council its willingness to contribute half the cost of the proposed stock bridge over the Rangitata, and also to contribute half the cost of maintenance of the same."

A letter was received from the Hospital Board, stating that the Council's contribution for the year would be £1055 17s 2d.