NEW SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20190, 30 August 1927, Page 10

NEW SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

OPENED AT KAUANGAROA. A MASSIVE STRUCTURE. (Special to Daily Times.) WANGANUI, august 29. At the opening of the new suspension bridge over the Wangaehu River at Kauangaroa, Mr W. S. Glenn, M.P., paid a tribute to the late Mr R. F. Bollard, who, the speaker said, would be missed in the politics of this Dominion. He was a man of fine character, quiet and unassuming, whod id not aspire to flights of oratory, and who passed away with clean hands and without a slur on his character. He was a man who also had a great capacity for work, and ha' achieved splendid results, not only in his own district, but for the whole of the Dominion. His place would be very difficult to fill. Mr J. Morrison, Deputy Mayor, pointed out how county interests were wrapped up with those of the towns, and the important part Wanganui, with its large population, played in relation to the surrounding districts. He referred also to the important industries that had been built up in the city of Wanganui, and particularly to the fertiliser works. The farmers, he believed, required more fertilisers than money, and by applying fertilisers to their land they made money The bridge would open up a new avenue for the distribution of their products. Touching on the harbour of Wanganui, the speaker said that last year they had snipped 130,000 boxes of butter from the port, 65,000 crates of cheese and 70,000 to 80,000 bales of wool. With the recent promises of more dairy factories shipping their produce which extended to factories beyond Dannevirke, they would, in all, have 45 factories shipping through Wanganui. Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., referred eulo gistically to Mr Glenn. He was, he said a fine fellow, whose politics were “ all to pot.”—(Laughter.) Referring to the farming community Mr Veitch said that they were never in such a difficult position as at the pfesent time, but they had the quality of tenacity to carry them over those difficulties. He predicted that in a few years in this country they would see greater prosperity than ever before. The speaker went on to say that he had a great admiration for public, servants, and for local body officials and local body representatives. The men who composed them were doing noble work. It was fashionable for people to imagine that all departments of the Public Service were inefficient and bound up with red tape. Personally, he used to think so, and had been foolish enough to say so. His opinion had been altered. The great bulk of the Civil servants were filled with enthusiasm, efficiency, and ability. In the gathering were a number of Maoris, including a veteran, Wera Puhaki, who was born on the banks of this ri-er which comes from the Crater lake and eternal snows of Ruapehu, and has lived on its banks all his days. Amidst thp great joy that is felt to-day by county engineers, contractors, and settlers, Wera feeis a great sadness in his heart, because he has seen bridges built on lis site, and has lived to see each of them go down to destruction. Wera has triumphed over these previous bridges, but when ho gasses at these massive concrete towers, at these great wires of steel, and at all this iron work, he knows in his heart that here is a bridge which will outlive him, and he knows that his spirit will have joined his ancestors at Parengarenga long before this bridge will require renewing. “ However, don't let us be sad. The sun shines overhead, the spring is abroad in the land, and,” says Te Wera Puhaki, “ kia ora, Mr Minister of the Crown, and Ida ora all you people who now or ever after cross this great bridge.”