"A DEATH TRAP."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13768, 5 June 1908, Page 6

"A DEATH TRAP."

DOMINION ROAD RAILWAY BRIDGE

A petition, signed by 32 shopkeepers, was recently forwarded to the Hon. Geo. Fowlds in regard to the question of widening the Dominion Road Railway Bridge at Mount Eden. The opinion was expressed that- the bridge "as it. is at. present will bo simply a. death trap whew the electric trains begin to run.'' Tim petitioners stated that they did not know how lite Mount Eden I'croiigh Council was going lo deal with the question, but. they asked "the Ministerial members of Parliament to widen the bridge lo the full width of the road, the matter bring too serious to bo played with."

Mr. FowJds, in replying to the petition, elated the position as follows:—"An Order-in-Cowieii, dated March 28, 1907, was issued, authorising the local authority to construct a tramway in the Mount Eden district, which Order-in provides, inter alia, ' that, in the construction of the tramway no bridges over or under any railway shall be in any way interfered with, without the written consent of the Minister for Railway;., and that, anything required to be done to such bridges shall lie done at the expense of the local authority, and in such manner a.s may be approved by the Minister for Railways.' The local authority accepted the dcr-inCouncil with that condition, and I presume that, in. delegating to the Tramways Company the powers and privileges conferred by the Order-in-Couneil, it, at. the same lime delegated the resfxinsibilities thereunder; and the Minister for Railway* contends that anything necessary to make the roadway over the bridge sale for traffic should be done at the expense of (lt*» local authority or the Tramways Company. 1 understand that 'lie Borough Council has asked the Railways Department to widen the bridge, to the till! width of. the road, but that it has given no indication that it is prepared to make such work available by widening the road approaches to the bridge. It would be absurd to widen the bridge unless the approaches to it were also widened. If the local authority or the Tramways Company will therefore undertake the widening of the approaches, I snail be glad to again briny the question of the widening of the bridge before the Minister for Railways, requesting his favourable Consideration."

A copy of this reply has been torwarded by Mr. Kowlds to the Mount Eden Borough Council.