BRIDGE LOAN FOR MANGOREI

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1924, Page 2

BRIDGE LOAN FOR MANGOREI

PROPOSALS TO RAISE £4OOO. WORK CONSIDERED URGENT. Owing to the bad state of repair of some of the bridges in the Mangorei riding of the Taranaki County, the council has come to the conclusion that it was not advisable to spend any further money on them, and that they should be replaced with permanent structures. To enable this work to be carried out, it was proposed to raise a loan of £4OOO. The council’s proposals in connection W’ith the loan have been placed before the ratepayers of the Mangorei riding by the chairman of the council, Mr. J. S. Connett. A report was obtained from Messrs. Sladden and Palmer, together with estimates of cost of reconstruction, and it is on this report, which fully confirmed the council’s opinion, that the proposals have been framed. With respect to the Lepper-Carrington Road bridge, this was a joint liability on tlie counties of Inglewood and Taranaki, and it was also hoped to receive a Government subsidy of one-half the cost of the new bridge. The Inglewood ratepayers had already taken the necessary steps to raise a loan to defray their portion of the cost. The Alfred Road bridge, over the Kaiawuai Rrrer, Bad been in a weak state for a long time, and was not fit to carry lorry traffic. The estimated cost of a new concrete bridge was £1390. The Kent Road bridge, over the Mangawarawara stream, was a very old structure, placed at a very awkward angle on the road. This, too. was not safe for lorry traffic, and to provide a new bridge was estimated to cost £ll9O. Another work that had been before the ratepayers and the council for a very long time past was the metalling of the Lower Mangoref Road. Now that bridge loan proposals were being submitted. it was felt the time was opportune to also place this question of metalling before the ratepayers and get their opinion. It was certainly a work that needed completion, being the connecting link from the .function Road to town, via the Lower Mangorei Road. No way of getting the work done seemed possible, other than suggested, and it was hoped ratepayers would view the proposal favourably. The estimated cost was £2BO. Provision was also made in the loan for first year’s interest ( £224) and for cost of raising the loan ( £25). The rate entailed to linuidate the loan would be l-24th of a Id. a very small amount, and one he di 1 not think likely to be opnosed. Tn reference to the metalling of the Mangorei Road, the opinion has been expressed by some ratepayers attending the meetings that this questi m should be put as a separate proposal instead of. as suggested, being incorporated in the bridge loan. Mr. Connett pointed nut. however, that by not including it in the loan considerable expense would be entailed and. further, that the amount involved was so small that he did not think any ratepaver could seriously oppose it.