KIOREROA BRIDGE.

Northern Advocate, 24 November 1914, Page 5

KIOREROA BRIDGE.

THH3 GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE,

OFFER TO HARBOUR BOARD

A: the meeting of the Harlo.; Board to-day, "the following ieite:; was received from the Minister of Railways (Mr W. H. Merries) : —

With regard to the widening of the span of the Whangarei Railway Bridge, which you have re. Heatedly brought under my notie , I wish to put my position and intentions clearly before you. I had the opportunity during my last visit to Whangarei of inspecting the bridge and 1 have had, as you know, i-eports from my Departmental Officers as to tihe cost of the work, which is larger than the amount mentioned by yon. As far as I understand the position, the desire of the Harbour Board is to have the span widened so that vessels of a sllightly larger tonnage than the s.s. "Kanieri'' can go up the river to the town, but it is not proposed to 'in., 'm provision for vessels the size of the s..s. "•Manaia." I have not in the past seen, and do not see, my way, as'- a custodian of tihe Public Purse, to spend a large sum of money for this scheme, which appears to me to be a minor one and one not calculate;' to increase the traffic on the lines that running or, in the future, wll be running to Whangarei, though undoubtedly the scheme would give cheaper freights to the towii itself. 1 can assure you, however, that . 1 am disposed to favourably consider the widening of tihe span or even the dismantling of the bridge if it can he shown that the,, Haribour Board is going in for a scheme (that will provide for larger vessels that are engaged in foreign trade. If a scheme is promulgated that' will put Whangarei into its natural position as the most important port on the East Coa: ' north of-Auckland-an:* :-i port of caM fortllners or their tenueis then I am sure that the Railwsv Department wi I gladly assist the H.:rbour_ Board in any way it can; especially if such a scheme wild increase, as I believt it will, the traffic on the lines of railwr. .- running r about to run to Whangarei. The object of the Department it to increase the traffic on its '-' neß leadir,; into Whangarei and ar:.y scheme thot wilf promote this'object will receive favourable consideration from me. If, therefore, the Haibouf Board submi.s a scheme to the, Lmnt that fu> •BUs the conditions I have laid down, and which is approved by the Department's engineers, the Harbour Board will not find,me wanting in respect tn the widening of the span or spans of the bridge and -generally helping to keep open a deep water channel I hope this Willi convince your constituents, wlho have been communicating with inie oh the subject, that lam, not adopting a dog iii the"; .manger policy, but that I am willing to, assist a progressive and go-a-head policy, especially one that . will add to the re"venues oi the North Auckland lines (now running into Wfaangarei.