MENZIES' FORD.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 822, 8 March 1909, Page 2

MENZIES' FORD.

. , ]<:»i'LUATJ&D COST OF BRIDGE £2lib's. CR. L'IiARCE oFrilJi PROPOSAL. Yet a turther advance is to be repun ud in the proposal for the erection oi v bridge over tlio Oroua rivar ul iienzie's Ford. The latest niovei mciit in tli is direction was coniniencj i- 1 Ijv the settlers around the locality I and "in the Colyton district, who, by a thorough canvass secured the promise of over £-200 in donations towards the cost of the- proposed bridge, in addition to ihe olier gratis of the necessary land on both sides of the river iov tlio approaches to the bridge. ■ '1 lii.-i successful inauguration brought I the proposal within measurable distanceoorl r accomplishment. A depaj isitioii placed tlio matter before tke 1 Oruiia County Council, but that body was not enthusiastic, considering the , erection of Ihe Lower Gorge Bridge : quite enough to think abqut at tfhat tim<>. However, tlio settllers did not allow the gra&s to grow under their feet. In course of time they approachod the Government, and secur- ' ed the promise of a subsidy of £400 towards the cost of the bridge. The proposal at that time was for a light traffic structure, to cost less than . j £2000. The County Council, however, on taking up the matter in i earnest, favoured a strong trustworthy bridge, and that body has at last received from the Government Chief Engineer the plans of a bridge rsii mated to cost x.2665. These plans v. ore before the meeting of the Council on Saturday, but consideration v. as postponed. A representative of the Star spoke to Cr. Pearce on the subject after the meeting. "How do you propose to get the £2665?" he was asked. Cr. Pearce replied that his proposal 1 s that they should forget about the promised £400 from the Government, aud instead ask for a subsidy of £1 for £1 or more on the total cost of the bridge. The settlers had promised £250. tlio Feilding Borough Council should be asked for £250, and the Oroua County Council could give £830. That would aggregate half , the cost, and the Government could reasonably be asked to provide the j other half of the total cost. "I would < like to point out," said Cr. Pearoe, | "that the Oroua county has never i received from the Government one ( penny towards tthe cost of any work ■fpr the sole use of settlers in the country. In the first place, the old < corporation^purohased the Manchester j Road District from the Government, ! put all ithe roads in itself, and then ' sold the land to the immigrants whom < they hid brought out. So that it was ] really the people themselves who paid for the roads. I think we have a reasonable claim on the Government for a good substantial subsidy for this bridge." AVith the completion of the Lower ! Gorge Bridge in sight, the Council will now be able to push on with the + proposal. They should be strongly supported by the Feilding Borough = Council and Chamber of Commerce, as the bridge when erected will be a great convenience to local business people, as well as to the settlers in the Colyton and Waiata districts.