BRIGHTON BRIDGE

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18147, 9 August 1924, Page 14

BRIGHTON BRIDGE

NEW STRUCTURE DISCUSSED. PUNGENT CRITICISM. Pungent criticism was- directed • at New Brighton and the proposed NewBrighton tramway bridge, at last night's meeting of the Heathcote County Council. "It doesn't matter to us whether there's a New Brighton or not, we've got Snmner," said Cr. B. Kiley, the representative of the Blount Pleasant Hiding, when the Councillors were discussing a letter from the Aranui Burgesses' Association asking how j the' County's share of if le proposed New j Brighton tramway bridge was arrived at. i'lans and specifications of the newbridge were forwarded to the Council by the Borough Council. The estimated cost of the bridge is £7300, and tliis an.ount was proposed to be con- j tri bated in the proportion of one-third | bv the New-Brighton Borough Council, j one-third by the Christehurch Tramway Koard. and one-sixth each by the Heathcote County Council, and the , City Council. . . Cr. \V. Kerr, the representative, of the Avon riding, said that Avon should not come into the matter at all. Their own bridge gave them access to New Brighton. Cr. J. H. Moore, the representative of the Bromley riding, said' that the New Brighton people might state that the amount was spread over the wliole f-ountv. but it was his opinion that it would fall on the Avon and Bromley ridings. The chairman, Cr. C Flavell, said that the matter was a serious one for both the Avon and Bromley rulings, for it meant a charge of £6OO on each riding. He said-that New Brighton was the playground of the city. Then what about RiccartonY Why should not Riccarton pay something towards it, for was not New Brighton the seaside of Riccarton as well as Christehurch? Cr. B. Riley supported the chairman and said that, the Ricearton people used New Brighton more than the Bromley oeople. Cr. Moore said that if the Bromley people wanted a bathe they went to the mud flats. .The chairman said, that the City and Avon and Bromley, were asked to pay as much as New Brighton towards a hridce. Previously, New Brighton had agreed to contribute half of the cost aiid Heathcote's share was only to be 8 per cent. The Tramway Board had refused to contribute towards the bridge, and as far as the Heathcote people were concerned, it did not matter, because if they wanted to go for a bathe they went to Sumner. Cr. Riley said that the Mount Pleasant people did not concern themselves with the bridge, as they had Sumner to go to if they did not want to stay in Mount Pleasant.

It was decided to. protest _strongly against the Council's allocation as being: ridiculous and altogether out of proportion to the benefit the County would receive from the bridg-e; also on the ground that! the people in the Avon riding would not use the new bridge, as they already had a better bridge over the Avon.