BRIDGE SET ON FIRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21145, 1 October 1930, Page 6

BRIDGE SET ON FIRE.

SEQUEL TO COUNTRY FEUD. TWO MEN REMANDED FOR SENTENCE. (Special to Daily Times.) . AUCKLAND, September 30. In order to prevent a number of people from Te Puke attending a meeting to vote on the proposal regarding the site of the proposed hall, two young men attempted to destroy the Popouroa bridge by fire. The bridge is situated on the main Te Puke-Tauranga road, and is three miles • from Te Puke. A certain amount of damage was done to the structure, but after the fire was extinguished the Te Puke people were able to ■ pass over, and at the meeting a resolution to erect a hall on the site favoured by them was carried by 50 votes to 46. As a sequel to the damage to the bridge, Roy xannahill M'Leod, aged 23, farmer, of Papamoa, and George Ernest King, jun., aged 21, farmer, of Papamoa, were charged at the Te Puki Magistrate’s Court to-day with wilfully setting lire to the Kopouroa bridge. Mr Cooney appeared for the accused, Who pleaded guilty. They were committed to the •Supreme Court for sentence. ■ The case arose out of a dispute as to whether , a hall which the Papampa Hall Society proposed to erect should be built on Ferguson’s site, which' was. favoured by the people of Upper Papamoa, or on. M'Naughfon’s site, which had the support of the people living near Te Puke. A meeting had.been called to decide the question. M'Leod, in a statement to the police, • endorsed by King, said ; he was one of five Papamoa settlers who asked that a meeting should be convened. There was bad feeling between the Te Puke and Papamoa people as to where the hall should be built. Some time before, the meeting there was, general talk in -the district of blowing up the bridge to stop the - Te Puke people from coming to the meeting. M'Leod said he_ was not in favour of -blowing up the bridge, and he and King decided to set fire to it, Continuing his statement, M'Leod said he filled. four sacks with kindling wood, and put them on his truck at' his own shed. He also had three gallons of kerosene . ready. He arranged to pick up King near the latter’s home so that King’s absence would not be missed. King went under the bridge and sprinkled .the sacks of wood and the bridge with kerosene. This was ignited, and the accused drove away m the truck. M'Leod expressed regret for having, damaged the bridge. . King also wrote a statement, in which he said M'Leod’s version of the affair was true. Excellent characters were given the accused by several well known settlers. Bail was allowed pending sentence. 1 °