MAINTENANCE OF COMBINED BRIDGES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11750, 26 November 1903, Page 6

MAINTENANCE OF COMBINED BRIDGES.

The AehburUm County Coum.il yesterday endowed the prot<»t of the ront.niup of delfrjpitei froui the I.«v>K Wnim.it", ,\V*U*ki, «nd Ashbuilon County Coun'-.ils against* the proposal of th» (Jovrnnient to saddle,-Councils Vn'.h half th-? wt of tho maintenkoceof"combined railway and traffic biadf;**. Tho Chairman, Mr Harper, pointed out that tho Rakaia. bridge was the only one in the Ashburton county in kespect'ol which the Council would be «• pected to contribute, nnd thi* was uwd at most by not more than 200 ratepayer* of the couuty, and for thiit accommodation they were expected to pay £400 per annum. Them bridges were colonial works, benefiting the public as a whole, being more particularly used for stock driven from Southland through Canterbury rather tban by the local ratepayer. At a meeting of the Chairmen of tJie Levels, Ashburton, Waimate, and Waitaki County Councils, held in Timaru, a resolution was paJteed protesting against the action of the Railway Department in claiming cost of maintenance of railway combined traffic bridges, on the ground tliat thene are colonial works, and benefit the jmblic as a whole, rather than the local ratepayers, more jparticularly for stock driving from Southland to Canterbury. A copy of the resolution has been #ent to Bir'J. U. Ward and to Mr Hall-Jones.