A TAURANGA COUNTY BRIDGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18742, 23 June 1924, Page 5

A TAURANGA COUNTY BRIDGE.

r/Sir.—May I comment on the strange at- .":.: ■■■■•,.■. titude of the Tauranga County Council, in.: regard to a proposal by the Otumoitai ratepayers to raise a' loan for a bridge and : embankment connecting their district with / • the town of Tauranga. The ratepayers/; agreed to be rated for a loan of ■ £12.7(0; and, at the poll in ; September the proposal;:/ was carried by an overwhelming majority. > One of the; comity, councillors, who, was • a member .of the , : Harbour Board, ; proposed * that : the Otumoitai ratepayers should rbe ;// / charged foi; the.■ spoil /needed ', in i the embankinent an amount equal to about £500. / The Harbour/; Board factually; carried that v proposal. Fortunately the ratepayers were able to show these astute business men that tbey had no authority to/" charge, for (y the spoil as ; they had already passed the specifications > and "i their ' .chairman • had,;• _;■■. \ signed them without mention of a; charge. : | After various pinpricking delays the time v came (June 13) ;when- the County Council, could no longer put off calling tenders for the", bridge. Then this same councillor " (who represents a district on the other side of tha town) brought in a motion that the '?. Borough ; Council be asked to contribute one half of, the costs of ! construction. The f County. Council 'carried \ this motion ;/: although it had previously raised the loan. of £12,700 and lifted a part of it. , The ~>;„ two councillors representing ■-, Otumoitai voting:; against; the motion. Of/course the ; ; v :: townspeople will strongly /object to being , forced into an ; obligation* that is quite unnecessary. No doubt the councillor hopes ; by this method to get the proposal turned down. This bridge will bring one of the loveliest parts lof Tauranga district within a mile of the town post office over" a good : graded road, and at present it is idly five . miles over some of the Council's noted roads. To show the public spirit of the Otumoitai ratepayers they had themselves borne all expenses in connection with (the .-..'■ proposal. It is a poor encouragement for v people to try; and/ improve -their district and bring ,-' it up to date when ; our public men are so-biased sin ;: their views.* * The districts these councillors represent are included in the rating -area for a loan, of £40,000 for harbour improvement. -I wonder, what ihey'think of their repres- * '.■ ;■•.,.. entatives ' trying;-to. turn, down a; scheme that will bring large quantities of goods through the harbour and help to make it - self supporting. J. Osborn-e.