COBDEN BRIDGE

Grey River Argus, 4 September 1917, Page 3

COBDEN BRIDGE

QtJEST|6N , OF_4AIN§^NAyCE. BOROUGH COUNCIL %S---gus'sion: ♦» - •■» v Yesterday antiuouua special meetxri«" vi ' ; .uc oreyu'uuni x»oiougu council was heiu uiine lajuiu-u ■^uamutrs iv coiibiuer nesv business m connection wiui me UoDden triage concratt. J-nere were picstuc:. xxis ttorsaip the Mayor \Mt. . J- • wi^yncnj ana-Crs. lNaylor, amitu ac, uoogan. vvaugu, iwienau, i^arim, i^ogarty, and weaver. councillor l^ogan oitflined the, vvork or me Cobaciv .ririage oonnnitcee on Tnurs<!av ana rnday last wnen coifresponaence irdm tne iviunster of FtiDiic Vv-otks stating tnat 11 cue local bodies could not agree regardinff the question, ot mainienance it wpuid be necessary to deduct the £300 trom the contract and to close> ijie bridge. Arter discussion . the con-. uactor vMr. Jbsigneir) was interviewed and he ottered to take- .over the whole of the bridge during the contract for £600 extra. . On Friday Mr. Bignell was asked, it he would take over the bridge at once and keep it open fpr traffic until the contract was finished for' the extra ,£6OO. This was the best arrangement the committee could make and Mr. Big-nell was agreeable. The best thinff the committee could do was to get the Public Works Department to add on to the contract and then the Government and Harbour Board would ' come in. The engineers of the County Council and the Borough Council had made an estimate that for the local bodies to keep the bridge open and in a state of repair it would be necessary to spend ,£i2oT Ii that course were taken, the cost would fall upon the Borough Council and the County Council, as the Harbour Board and the Government would take no part. On the other hand if the local bodies agreed to the extra payment of £600 to the contraptor the Government would "pay .£2OO and the Harbour Board would pay its share of the re-| maining £400 — approximately ,£i33 each for the Borough Council, County Council and Harbour Board. The committee, with the exception of one member, had agreed to accept that arrangement. The three local engineers had expressed their opinion that the offer was a very generous, one and should be accepted. Cr. Do'ogan read the—two resolutions accepting the offer, and asking the Public Works Department to agree to the arrangement. He then moved that the Borough Council Council adopt the committee's report. Cr. Smith, seconded the motion proforma, saving that he thought they should support the engineers' reports. Cr. Fogarty heartily supported- Cr. Doogan. The Engineer,., in reply to Cr. Smith said that he could advise the. council to support the offer. -Cr. Cottle moved that the report be not accepted. The engineers had said that the bridge could be kept in order for .£l2O and he did not know why they - should spend £600. He thought that the railway bridge could be used. In his opinion it was throwing away public money into private hands. He left the councillors to judge for themselves. All the councillors spoke Crs. Sherratt and Waugh supporting Cr. Cottle. Cr. Smith, in answer to Cr. Cottle said thaf he . was one of the contractor's bondsmen. He later retired' from the meeting refusing to vote, o-t the question. \ Cr Doogari replied to the various criticisms and on the motion being put it was declared carried,