WAIAU BRIDGE

Western Star, 31 March 1911, Page 5

WAIAU BRIDGE

MEETING OF SETTLERS A mooting attended by between 80 and 40 settlers and others was hold at Tuataperc on Monday afternoon for the purpose of deciding on the Steps to bo taken in order to have a bridge over the Waiuu putin hand at once. Mr C. Thomson, M.P., was present. The Chairman of the Bridge Committee (Mr J. King) presided. The Ohairman said though the moating was not largo it was repre'sontat.'ive of the different interests In the district. The people had done all they could do to have the bridge con structed without delay and now was the.time for them to act conjointly with tho member dn urging the Government to take immediate steps in the matter. The Govt, first placed thirty-five hundred pounds, £ for £, on the Estimates, but they could not avail themselves of the money because a portion of the Waiau riding would have had to contribute to wardat the cost. There was npw a straight-out vote of three thousand pound’s, but the Government would not let them know what kind of a bridge they intended to construct, thougu they had been writing for the past twelve months for the infer ( mation- In the face of that fact tho County Council could not prepare plana, but if they had got the plans |peady there would have been no guar---antee that tho grant would have come because for some parts of Wallace Government £ for £ grants were ap_ , proved, but did not come to hand, j In some cases only a per ccntage of the money came down, fifty or seventy per esnt. As to the bridge, the Government was only going from step 1 to step, while the settlers desired ex 1 pedition. Mr Thomson had that day been able to form an idea as to the 1 extent of tho traffic over the river ; and the disabilities from which ,sot- | tiers and others were suffering from. Tho Chairman said he did not see s why plans and specifications were not s ‘ prepared and tenders invited for the a work immediately. If thd Department 0 went about the matter in a businesslike manner tho bridge should be 1 started in tho courge of six weeks. 0

Mr Stott, speaking on behalf of %J (sawmallQr& said it'lio work was oi an urgent nature.. Mr A. Carmichael stated that it *he County Council had been receiving twenty-five instead of fifty pounds from the Government for road works ho could understand .the Council being shy in going on with the bridge on the it ipr £ basis as seven thousand pounds would have been Involved The experience of the Council had been unparalleled in his dealing with the Government and he did not understand the matter but perhaps the member could explain dtMr Samson said if the. Department know the absolute need for the bridge it would not delay in the way It was now doing, and if advantage was not taken cf the grant immediately the traffic would be so great that a complete block would take place* Mr Adamson said it was certain the Government intended to provide the money, and what they had mpt for was to point out the urgency of the work in support of which theio were present gentlemen who could bring forward facts and figures. MrWm. Stott said the progress of the district was being seriously retarded if, as had been decided, no more lands would bo opened at the west of the Waiau until the bridge was made. When people went Jon, bush lands little was domi in the firdS few years, and they needed bridges as wall as roads to cjonvey their products t£j market., The Government were simply playing with the people. Mr Horroll was satisfied the Govern xnont were losing in freight the interest on the cost of the construction of the railway through the absence oi a bridge. At present they lb tot more ibtufl from Tewaewao than Tuatapere, and the former was a very small district. That "being the cas* someth'..eg was wrong* On the west side ol the river there were thousands of acres settled, and thousands waiting to be settled, bub what encouragement was there for people to take up tn« land? saw millers had been blocked atm he (the speaker) had wanted to buy cattle on the other side of the river, bub what was tho use, as be coma fcort have got them ea ».’«• punt. Mr M Fleming sa'id the Government had let him tho land but woukl not let him on it though ho had been ou (the west side (of the river lor .six years* Mr Snoyd said there was a vast amount of timber across the river, and other mills would bo erected *1 a bridge were provided. The Government appeared to bo shuttling. Mr Thomson who, on rising was received with applause, said they f ,n 't as ho did that the Government should u-et to work and erect tho bridge without delay. It was his duty to hear what they had to say and repre float to tho proper quarters their vtmvvs aspirations and ideals, ami ho thought •that since he had been their member had pushed on everything they wanted. There was at present’a block i„ the matter of the bridge but a HtItlo time, ho thought, would overcome) that. Ho referred to improvements that had boon made in the district since 1904 and said if tho Government had been sending down only u 0 per cent of the votes nothing too that work would have been done. Regarding tho Chairman’s remarks, he had made inquiry and found that the Wallace County Council had sent to Y the Department plans and specifications for fifty pounds’ worth pi work when tho total amount to be expended W us one hundred pounds, and the Department only sent down twentyfive, being the £ for £ subsidy, it plans ami specifications were forward cdfor tho full hundred pounds !h ' J Government would furnish its titty. He would publish a letter he mu to ceived from tho Minister. If the Conn cil sent an application for the whole amount of a work ho ventured to say the Government would forward every penny*.''and ho thought ibtufl during tho past eight or nine years the Council had boon treated splendidly. Next year provision would bo made on tho Estimates for Ike lull amount of the work. In last years estimates there was not abridge >«■ New Zealand where the Government bad found all tho money. On January 24, 1910, ha predicted that in the course of two years ho- would g'-t the whole of tho money required, lie explained what ho had done an til (ha it/rafghDoui vote

and .said ho took it as an indication that the Government intended to find the v, l>olo cost, and a telegram from Sir J. G. Ward confirmed n his belief HP maintained that the worker at the sgwmdlls was as keenly interested du the bridge as any other man Sixty of these men were employed in mills the other side of the river and he was attending to their interests us well as those of others - The river was lower now than it had ever - been in the history of'the white man ir these parts, eke was a strong advocate of land settlement, and the areas over the river would have to be opened as the progress of the district depended on Such a course, A bridge was necessary, and it was his I. umilieu duty to urge the, Government to start the work os soon as possioie. lie had seen the punt operating, noticed tho time necessary to cross, and had been told that the, man mcharge crossed two hundred times a day. i he Government built t)ho railway l , opened the land, practically road;d it, and it was only right for them to ‘-*mplote the work they had commenced, and erect the bridge Ho im I be* u told that probably three more n ills would be established, cmpl lying sxty men when the bridge was constructed, and that an add Hr mil freight of forty founds a day would bo paid to tho Railway Department. Before Sir Joseph Ward left for the Old Country ho (the speaker; saw him, and the Prime Minister said that what appeared in his telegram was all ho could do in the meantime. He (Mr Thomson) was in hope that the bridge would bo started this year. It was not the only bridge- in New Zealand, They wanted one in Marlborough district, costing thirteen thousand pounds’, and the people had to find half tho cost. As to tho Wniau, a suspension bridge would be inadequate, as, in tho course of time he expected that thousands of cattle would be reared west of the IVaiaii, and’that sheep raising would bo a regular pursuit. Such a bridge would thus bo unsuitable. Then the heavy sawmill and other traffic, required a structure with stability He was afraid the Department would build a suspension bridge, but he had not yet been informed on the. question. He had asked the Minister what type of structure it was proposed to build, and ho had stated that ho would reply later. When they came, Gy think of what had been doho in tho district in a few years, bethought the Government might reasonably ask for breathing time but a strong resolution would not bo out of place. Me hoped tho result of tho meeting would bo the early commencement of the feridgo_ Tho chairman said Mr Thomson k ;ejj plauation was satisfactory, and he had no doubt ho would do all 'he could in tho matter. As to breathing time, seven years were occupied in constructing the railway, which was too long, and was an argument m favour ;of the bridge being putin hand at once. It was then decided (i) that tho member, be asked to ascertain tho typo of bridge it is proposed to erect and (2) that tho Government bo thanked for their decision to tajke the full responsibility for the erection of tho bridge.; Mr Carmichael said Mr Thomson deserved their thanks for what ji_e had done, and he proposed a hearty vote of thanks to him for the success bis efforts had met with up to the present . Mr Samson seconded tho motion, which w a s carried with acclamationOn tho motion of the Chairman, a vote of thanks was passed to the Press for being present, and a similar compliment was accorded Mr King for presiding.