THE HARBOUR BRIDGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19857, 30 January 1928, Page 12

THE HARBOUR BRIDGE.

Sir, —We have to hand' certain particulars as to the revenae And expenses of the Vancouver Bridge, which has many points of similarity to that proposed for Auckland. The toll in Vancouver for a motor-car and driver is 15 cents for transient business and 7£ cents by concession cards, for pedestrians 5 cents and 2£ cents, respectively. The schedule for trucks is based on the weight of the truck and is m proportion tc passenger and other vehicular tolls. The average daily earnings for 1926 were 360 dollars and the average daily 6xpenses s including maintenance, wages and sinking fund, etc., 246 dollars, leaving a credit balance of 114 dollars per day. The corresponding figures for the first nine months of 1927 were 423 and 252 dollars, leaving a credit balance of 171 dollars a day. It will be seen, therefore, that in Vancouver the harbour bridge, so far from being a burden on the ratepayers, as your correspondent, "Shoreit-e," fears would happen here, is a source of revenue of approximately £12,000 per annum, and that within a year or two of its opening. Further, this result is obtained with a toll less than half of that we pay the Ferry Company . in Auckland now, and the probability is that this toll will be still further reduced as traffic increases, with the final result of a free bridge. The estimated cost of the bridge has again been questioned and ;jg| we would like to repeal that our estimate of £650,000 was based on an assumed depth of foundations, as exact information was not available at that. time. A similar figure was subsequently arrived at by Mr Moore, apparently working on the same assumed depth to rock. It must be realised that until borings are taken and j the elevation of the rock surface determined no responsible civil engineer would make a definite statement as to the cost of such a structure. There is, however, enough data available as to the rock depths for somo distance from each shore and also as to the probable traffic and revenue to render-this proposition worthy of full investigation, and we hope when the necessary investigation as to foundations has been made to be in a position to put forward a complete statement of the bridge as a business venture. JONKS ANT> Adams, Hon. Engineers, Harbour Bridge Assn. Sir, —Contrary to Mr, Moore's claim the promoters of the bridge stunt have not found anyway of financing that will not unload a heavy burden on the North Shore and push up the cost of transport. The bridge will not give access to much of the North for the simple reason "that the ranges that start at Riverhead and run in a semicircle to Waiwera are a complete barrier, and always will be, except to tourists, and for them there is ample accommodation now. The fact that the 4 per cent, increase annually at the North S*ore has kept up for 10 years shows that we have no need to worry about bridges just now. What we do want badly is £50,000 spent joining up the gaps in the concrete roads at Takapuna, and £150,000 spent on soflte of the more important side streets; phis more expenditure on drainage; at Devonport about £200,000 is required to finish out the streets and make them such that strangers would come to live along them; Birkenhead and Northeote are both in urgent need of streets and drainage, and very possibly the North Shore may be involved in a £250,000 w.iter scheme; that is for just a few of tha immediate needs, urgent ones, the Shore needs to find close on £BOO.OOO, necessitating a sharp increase in rate levies. Will the bridge advocates support the loan polls for these" Shobeite.