NEW BRIGHTON BRIDGE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19080, 16 August 1927, Page 10

NEW BRIGHTON BRIDGE.

MAYOR'S DISPUTE WITH MR FLESHER. AN ALLEGED SLIGHT. One of the sidelights in the controversy over the Brighton bridge—a personal difference between Mr A. «. Owles, tho Mnvor of New Brighton, and Mr J. A. Flesher, the borough solictor—provided a bright half-hour at last night's meeting of the Borough Council. The Mayor's declaration at the previous meoting-that Mr Flesher had Blighted him by not including n m among those to whom as solicitor i"_ communicated tho decision ot in^ Court of Appeal in the recent bridge case—was tho subject of a letter tiom Mr Flesher, which Mr Owles read to tho meeting. , The Mayor's complaint was that tutsolicitor had not communicated the decision to him, while it had been give" to others, including an ex-Mayor. Air Flesher's letter stated that he iaa rung up Mr Owlos's house, and had been informed bv Mr Owles's daughter that Mr Owles was not at home. Ait Owles disputed the accuracy of tins, statement, saying that his daughter had told him there had been no call on his house telephone. There was a further point' at issue—whether a message Mr Flesher said ho had given tor the Mayor to the Town Clerk (Mr Middleton) had been misunderstood as one for the ex-Mayor. After the matter had been referred to the Standing Committee, Mr Owles repeated that his daughter had told him his house telephone had not been rung. "I have never kuo\y,n my wile and°daughler to be prevaricators," he added, "and I am not going to have them called liars for all the blooming councillors and Mayors going!'' Architect! to Confer. The Council decided to have a conference with Mr H. F. Toogood, architect of the bridge, on September 10th, and approved of Mr Toogood's suggestion of consulting later with the City Engineer (Mr A. 11. Galbraith) over the question of clearance. Cr. E. Smith, speaking of Mr Toogood's request that the Council should furnish him with anv available suggestions respecting such alterations to the plans as it might consider necessary, moved that he be informed that the Council did not want the approaches touched. Cr. F. D. Muirson seconded the motion, which was carried. Cr. H. A. Glasson: You will never get an eight feet clearance without altering the appi'oaches.