THE MANGERE BRIDGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15265, 1 April 1913, Page 5

THE MANGERE BRIDGE.

allocating; THE COST. LOCAL BODIES affected. COMMISSION TAKES EVIDENCE. The commission set. up to inquire into the allocation of the cost ; of construction and; the upkeep 'of i the Mahgere bridge, con- ' tiriued its sitting in the Arbitration Court yesterday. ! The commissioner (Mr. C.C. Kettle, S.M.) presided, and the fojlowing ; local bodies were represented :■—Mangere Road Board (Mr. A. E. Skelton),: One* hungjj Borough Council (Mr. McVeagh), Otahnhu Borough Conncil (Div Bamford), •Auckland City Council (Mr. Stanton), and Newmarket Borough Council (Mr. Clayton). ' ..;-, ..-,."■■■... ,' Mr. A. E. Skelton, who appeared for the Mangers . Road Board, stated that a new agreement had heen drawn up for the : ; approbation of the local bodies cited, to whom a plan of- the proposed bridge had been submitted. ' : ,:. '•'{< / ":■ , *. •- Mr.'Clayton, on belialf of the Newmarket Borough Council, intimated that the agreement had hot reached him until Saturday, and more time was needed to deliberate on the ; proposals; .ThoOtahuhu. Borough Council (Dr. Bamford) intimated that it did not object to the design thus submitted, but it did not admit it® liability to contribute towards the same, although it .would be prepared to contribute towards ,an : embankment, with suitable lock provision, for the purposes of,a canal. i;; ■■,-■.,. The City Council . (U.*. Stanton) signified that it did-not object to the desigia of the bridge as submitted in the plans of the Mangero Road Board. ; ,,- ; Mr, Skelton, continuing, eaid tliat the Marine Department hod -withdrawn its objection to tho bridge being & monolithic structure, providing that . the Ellerslio Town Board and the Mount Wellington Road Board withdrew their objections. These two bodies were, thereupon," struck out as parties. -' Walter Montgomery, a. motor-car proprietor, of ; Auckland, with more than 20 years'' experience, said that the course from Auckland across the Mangere bridge to Otahuhu was a favourite pleasure drive, and was much preferred to the South Road course, owing to the superior roads. Proposed Proportions oJ Cost .",. Mr. Skelton here gave the proportions of cost to be borne by the local bodies cited, as proposed by the Mangere Road ( Board. They- were as follows :—Mangere Road Board, 27 per cent, j Onehunga Borough Council, 25 per cent.; Auckland City ;: Council, 15 per cent Otahuhu , Borough Council, 15 per cent,, iond New* , market Borough Council, S per cent. i Mr. 'Skelton Stated that the bridge had been first opened in 1874, and ever since 1889, Qnehuhga md Mangere had been bearing the burden of its upkeep* Although ewhitaaliy for the benefit of -the Mangere" district, the bridge was particularly con- ■ vonient • for the oiher local bodiesi cited, and the time had come when Mangers and Onehunga had awakened to the fact that they should not,be made solely responsible for. its upkeep. With regard* to New-; markist, that borough was ; undoubtedly a i coming.town, and a lot of traffic would i go, -m 'it already did, across the bridge; j Otahuhu possessed abattoirs and saleyards/j whiclt entailed a great amount of., stock-j ■: traffic, apart from its great ]popularityl amongst ploasure-scckets, all ■of whom, when travelling from the city, utilised the Lridgfß*.l-:'';■'.• Mr. Sk<3ton -..coacladeir-'that he .would call evidence to that certain;, responsibilities lay on - the parties ted'in' ths» commission, .-...<" Inaidequasy oi Present ' Slractoa. : Robert F. Moore, engineer to the Mangere Bead Board for the purposes of : the construction of the Mangere Bridge, stated that he had prepared the official plans for the 30ft and the 50ft bridges, both of which were, on the same" principle. ; Ho;, considered that the present; bridge should most certainly be condemned, as it was no longer fit for the 1 purposes for which it was used. His esti-.'-! mate of a 30ft bridge, with the swinging span eliminated, was £16,650, ind for a! 50ft, structure £25i,150., i ; Hugh Ross Mackenzie, chairman of the j Mangere Road Board, stated .. that his j board held a Very; decided opinion that : the present strut" should be replaced! immediately. The bridge was used .a j great deal Tby most of the unrounding dis-; trict, to which it was the means of entrance from the city. The motor traffic across the bridge was very heavy, and frequtfcntly 100 cars a day passed across it. To Dr. Bamford witness stated that there was a considerable trade between Otahuhu and Mang-ere more than that between Onehunga and Mangere. ; Certain portions of the. Mangere district adjoining the railway station did not materially benefit by the bridge, but he wnsidered that the value of property in Otahuhu, was increased -to a certain extent by the bridge. Were; the bridge taken away the property in ; , f ;Mang«r© as a whole would decrease; very considerably in value. To Mr. Stanton: Witness said that the: bridge was certainly of 'more benefit to Mangere than to the city. Witness considered that the construction of the bridge would benefit Auckland City, said would naturally cause an appreciation in land values. '..- ; :.;.; Trade with Mangle., '; > ; Questioned by Mr. Clayton, witness mentioned several Newmarket firms with whom he was aware Mangere people traded. Counsel pointed out that 'of the firms enumerated one was only a branch of a city firm, one had its registered office in the city, while another was, outside the '; boundaries of the . Newmarket .. : Borough. : ; : -. To Mr. Skelton: If there was ho bridge the Mangere people would probably be supplied via Otahuhu. Auckland's Milk Supply. William Oliver Lane,; managing director of Ambnrys, Limited, stated that the number of the firm's Vehicles crossing the : bridge was about four per week. The firm naid about £19,000 annually for milk it received at Mangere. To the Commissioner: Of the milk they supplied to the people of Auckland, about 50 per cent, came from Mangere. About half that: quantity ■-was consumed by people living inithe City of Auckland. ':' To Mr. Stanton: In order;to bring 1 in' the imilk,' the firm's Vehicles had to traveirse -a considerable-portion of the Auckland city streets. As far as witness could say, his firm could get the/ same • supply of milk from Mangere if there was no Bridge. It would be, however, at an increased cost. William George Breeze gave evidence regarding a tally taken from December 8 to 28, 1911, of vehicles crossing the Mahgere Bridge. Frank Herbert Tapp 1 also gave evidence regarding the tally. i At this stage proceedings were adjourned until ten o'clock this morning. The commission will probably-continue its sitting this evening.