TRAFFIC BRIDGE EXTENSION

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 84, 6 June 1913, Page 5

TRAFFIC BRIDGE EXTENSION

♦ BRUCE COUNCIL APPEASED. .Mr 1). Stewart (Mayor of Balclutlia) sent the following explanation to the Bruce County Council, as a reply to the council's resolutien at the May meeting protesting against the manner in which it had been treated in regard to the proposed alterations to the Balelutha traffic bridge.— From the newspaper report of the last meeting of the Bruce County Council it appeared that it was under the impression that it had been treated with scant courtesy by the Balelutha Borough Council in connection with the £3OOO grant from the Government for the removal of the earthen approach to the Balelutha traffic bridge. The following facts, would, the writer hoped, remove the impression. In March 1912, the Mayor (Mr E. J. Boyd) called a public meeting to consider the question of protecting the town from floods. Written invitations were sent to the chairman of the Bruce and Clutha County Councils, and also Councillors Begg and Boyd. The Clutha chairman attended the meeting, but none of the others took any notice of the invitations received by them. The "Mayor reported to his council at their next meeting the result of the public meeting, and, so far, as the records show the matter ended there so far as the borough council was concerned. On the strength of the engineer 's report the Cabinet passed a vote of £3OOO. The Government engineer's opinion was supported by. the opinions of two other comp#tent engineer*. Indeed, s«eing lhat the removal of the approach would wider the waterway by nearly three chains it was surely pretty obvious that its removal would be of very great advantage when the river was in flood. The Bruce council was probably not aware that Bruce rateratepayers in Barnego were, among t|je strongest supporters of the propbsal to E§axove tie approach. Mr Itnfkl coa*

j eluded; ( 1 Councillor Clark is reported to have said that he sent a message to me by Mv Malcolm, M,P. that I had not replied, and that there was evidently some secrecy being practised. I never received any such message, and it seams to me that Councillor Clark, before making such a suggestion should have made some inquiry as to whether his messenger had delivered the message." At the meeting of the Bruce County Council on Tuesday Councillors Driver and Begg said that they had no recollection of getting any written notice, and Councillor Boyd said he had received his too late to enable him to attend the meeting. However, Mr Stewart's letter was a satisfactory explanation. All that the Brace County Council objected to was the way it had been treated in not being consulted. They did not blame the Clutha people for trying to do the best they could for the town.

Other councillors expressed themselves similarly, and Councillor King •said lie was glad to see this feeling. It was not pleasant for neighbouring bodies to be bickering at each other, and if Bruce got a substantial grant from the Government for some necessary work it would not like it if the neighbouring bodies objected to tkis help. Council lor Clark said lie wished it to be understood that he was still of the opinion that the £3OOO would be wasted in removing the approach. The matter then dropped.