THE NEW WHAU BRIDGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17691, 28 January 1921, Page 6

THE NEW WHAU BRIDGE.

ALLOCATION OF THE COST.

COMMISSION OPENS SITTJNQS. The commission appointed by the Government to consider the advisability of erecting a new ferro-concret* bridge over the Whau River at Avondale and to allocate the cost among the local bodies affected sat yesterday at the Magistrate's Court. Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., presided. Mr. McVeagh appeared for the Waitemata County Council, and Mr. Jackson, the county engineer, was present. Mr. Stanton was advocate for the City Council, and Mr. .W. E. Bush, city engineer, was also present. Mr. Haddow represented the New Lynn Town Board, Mr. Rogerson appeared for the Mount Eden Borough Council, and Mr. Vallance for the Avondale Road i Board. Mr. J. Stewart represented the ! Helensville Town Board, and Mr. F. E. Powell was present for the Mount Albert Borough Council. Mr." McVeagh said the present wooden i bridge had been built 30 years ago, and improvement in methods of traction, together with important increases in the | population and in the volume of traffic, : made the construction of a new bridge imperative. The Waitemata County de- i rived no income from the cemetery site j and waterworks area taken over in its dis- j trict by the City Council, but these places, ' together with the parks and picnic grounds in the vicinity, had greatly increased the traffic over the bridge. v Counsel submitted that there was a pressing need for a new bridge, for the existing structure carried the pipes which supplied the city with water, and the state of the bridge was such that the vibration of traffic frequently ! caused breaches-in the pipes. The Waite- : mata Council, as controlling body, had drawn plans for the new bridge, which' was estimated to cost £10,000. The span i of the central arch was desitrned as 24ft., j and the proposed width as 40ft. Mr. Stanton said the City Council contended that a suitable bridge could be built for less money, and the city should be allotted a smaller proportion. The New Lynn Town Board maintained that the proposed width of 40ft. was inadequate, and that the design was too expensive at such an inopportune time. The Mount Albert Boroucch Council and the Avondale Road Board raised similar j objections, and contended that the basis of! allocation of the cost was unsatisfactory. ' Mount Eden Borough Council objected ! to contributing toward tha cost of the bridge, on the ground that it was of no benefit to a very considerable proportion of the residents of Mount Eden. A similar arsument was advanced by the Helensville Town Boasd. which, *if included in contributing bodies, would contend that the cost was excessive.

Mr. James Btewnrt, chairman of the Helensville Town Board, eave reg-ardincr the attitude of that body. He said Helensville had paid half the Vest of nnother bridge built by the Waitemflt* County Council on the maiv, route and although Auckland local bodies used this bridge, they contributed nothing to its cost. v The proposed Whan Bridge would fnve verv small additional benefits to Helensville. The commission then adjourned to inspect the present bridge. |