THAT PIPE BRIDGE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 981, 23 November 1910, Page 2

THAT PIPE BRIDGE.

: STATEMENT BT MR. M/EWAN. 7 The Jfayor of Petone (iTr. J. ft, M'Ewan), interviev/ed : yesterday concern-' ing the delay in the construction of the : approaches to .the new." Hutt pipe and traffic bridge, said he cSuld not'>at : all understand the statement of , Mr. ,J.. E, Pqj/iier, Town Cleri of Wellington, that the City Council was 'waiting for the plans, specifications,. and estimates to-'be forwarded by the Petone authority.' The plans of tho approach (Mtv il'Kwan stated) were, prepared in tho fast instance,by. Mr. W. 'H.-'Cook, Petona Borough Diigineer,. on August 17,. 1907.; These showed", all details. On October 28 a copy of these plants was sent to. ths City Engineer. Mr.' Morton then sent out oiie.of his staff (Mr. Greenwood) 1 to obtain, additional, copies, of;.the . plans. Ai'te.r some time! had elapsed, the' first-set of. plans .was returned, in consequence of Mr. Morton finding. it necessary'to in-, crease .the lieiglit of the. bridge, by 3ft." Bin. Further, plans .-were accordingly prepared. by Mr. Cook,, and, on August 31, 1909, four copies were sent to the. Borough' Solicitor (Mr. 1 11. C. Kirk), with a rati nest that he . would. inform the City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) that a copy would-be'forwarded to him to take the - place ..of -the superseded' copy. . copy of the' amended' plans'-was accordingly left with -Mr. Morton.b;f Mr. Cook, who at the same-time forwarded a copy to Mr. liaing-Meason, as engineer to the Hutt Kiver Board. . "I. notice/'., remarked- Mr. ''that he admits 'that' the, Petone Bor-' ough Solicitor . and the-'• City Solicitoi' (Mr. .J. O'Shea) hav;e been in close touch' in connection with' the matter for some, time past; that '■ being so, it is inexplicable how the City Council .coujd have considered the question of obtaining a' warrant without the plans (which the City Council says it has - not received) being before it, inasmuch as. it is one oi' the necessary conditions/imposed uoon local bodies to have-all plans ready when applying -for. a warrant for- the- construe-, tiou of a bridge." ' , —~

In short, Mr. MTJwah.. contended- that Petoiie was in no- 'way responsible for the hanging up of' the work. It was to him, to say the least of it. inexplicable' that the Town Clevk of Wellington had found'it. write to the Petono Council . last /. l-Mday, asking for plans already supplied.. '