SHANNON NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 138, 15 May 1925, Page 9

SHANNON NOTES.

THE PUNT QUESTION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) From a report of the Horowhenua County Council’s meeting held last Saturday it appeared that considerable consideration was given to the question whether the borough of Shannon should contribute to the punt on the Manawatu river. Cr. Ryder is reported to have said “he would like to see the Shannon people go free; for one reason they had hammered away for the protection of this bridge for years and this should be credited to them.” The chairman (Cr. Monk) was alleged to have replied: “Did they ever do anything more than make a noise P If bridges could be built with noise, they could have erected two bridges across the river in place of the old one.” In an interview with your correspondent, the Mayor of Shannon said he desired to thank Cr. Ryder for his acknowledgment, but the chairman required his memory brushed up. The Shannon Bor ough Council certainly brought the dangerous condition of the bridge before the Honowhenua County Council and \vapractieally told to mind its own business; perhaps not in those words, but that was the substantial way of putting it. The Shannon borough then suggested that the bridge and its approaches should be made one matter and the Horowhenua county, Manawatu county, Foxton borough and Shannon borough be the contributing bodies; thus tlie Shannon borough offered voluntarily to become a contributor. The offer was not accepted or acted on. The Shannon borough next approached the Minister of Public Works and asked him to use his powers in the matter—in making the bodies aforesaid contributing bodies to the bridge and approaches. The Minister oould not see his way to do this. Then, again, the Shannon borough asked to be put under compulsion to contribute. This is what Cr. Monk called a noise. Nothing WB3 done to save the bridge and it was, as the Shannon Borough Council predicted, duly swept away by flood. Although the bridge was up for about 16 years, the Horowhenua County Council never even put a coat of paint on it. The only thing that body ever did was to put some sort of asphalt on the decking. The Shannon borough was willing to contribute to save the bridge and this offer was rejected, said the Mayor. The end of the matter was that the bridge was swept away. Now it will take about five times as much money to restore the bridge. Is it right that the Shannon Borough Council should pay under these circumstances ?