TEE MANGAONUA BRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1361, 22 March 1881, Page 2

TEE MANGAONUA BRIDGE.

A special meeting of the Waikato County Council was held yesterday, for the purpose of making a final decision on the application of the Tamahere Highway Board to grant a sum of money out of subsidies accruing to the Kirikiriroa Riding towards the Mangaonua Bridge. There were present — Captain Steele (in the chair), Crs. Fergusson, Primrose, dimming, and Wells. Mr P. Leslie and Captain Runciman attended on behalf of the Tamahere Board ; and Messrs Gillett and Coates, as members of the Kirikiriroa Board, at* tended on behalf of that body. The Chairman opened the proceedings by stating that tne Council would hear what the Road Board representatives had to say, and then come to a conclusion on the matter. Mr Leslie then recapitulated wha,t he had stated at the previous meeting as to the necessity for the work, the cost, &c. He objected to Mr Primrose sitting as one of the Council to determine a case in which he was so deeply interested. After some conversation upon the point, The Chairman said the Council could not compel Mr Primrose to retire. He sat there as a member of the Council, and not as a member of the Kirikiriroa Board, and would, he believed, deal as fairly in the matter as the others. Mr Leslie knew they could not compel Mr Primrose to retire, but surely ho would ]on the score of decency. Cr. Fergusson thought Mr Primrose should retire, because he might insensibly be biassed. Cr. Primrose declined to leave the table unless requested to do bo by a majority of the Council, and in consequence re. mained. Mr Gillett then proceeded to state tho reasons why he had opposed the granting of a sum of money in aid of the bridge. He was sorry he was the only member of the Board present who had heard the request made by Capfc. Runciman. Mr MeLernon was in Auckland and Mr Swarbrick wae> on his way thither. The latter gentleman had, however, written a letter to the Chairman which he would read. Hamilton, March 19, 1881. Dear Sir, — Referring- to jour call here yesterday, I regret th.it I shall not be abli- to attend the County Council on Monday, as I have to go to Auckland. 'Ihe case is, however, so clear as to need little explanation. Three months ago, Captain Runciman asked our Hoard to share with the I'amaherc Hoard, the cost of certain works at Stei-lc's gully. He entirely failed to show they were of general public utility, -and he admitted that they were no direct benefit to our district. He based his claim on our duty as good neighbours. For the sake of argument I will admit his right to as favourable hearing as our ratepayers. And I say that if the entire works were in our district I should object to their being undertaken at the present time. There arc, in our district, many ratepayers who have absolutely no road to their farms. The main road, Hokonui to Taupiri, is almost impassible. These and other equally important works cannot be done for want of money. And yet Captain Runcfman asks me to devote our tunds to works of third-rate importance, in order that two or three large land-owners may hive extra facilities. In short, he asks us to deny our ratepayers the very necessaries of life, in order that his may have luxuries. — Yours truly, A. iJWARDRICK. A. Primrosi'jEsq. He proceeded to say, that he entirely agreed with the letter just read. There r were numbers of settlers in the Kirikiriroa \ District who had no road at all to their properties'except through private lands, and in this they were as badly or worse off ' than their Tamahere friends. If the Kirikiriroa Board had Toted money to make a bridge for T«mahere they would have justly incurred the censure of their own ratepayers. With regard to the Hokonui road, upon which Mr Leslie had laid such stress at the previous meetiag, he would say that all they had spent upon it was only a drop in the ocean, and as long as ho remained on the Board he would see that i*i had a fair share of the expenditure of the District. In concluding be denied that the Board was influenced by Mr Primrose. Mr Coates said he wished he had attended the meeting at which Capt. Runciman made the request. He would have proposed giving the Tamahera Board a aum out of goodfellowship. Capt. Runciman spoke in support of the claims of Tamahere. In answer to Cr. Weils, as to why the Board had not come to the Council before the work was started, Capt. Rnnoimaa said he had always been under the impression that the law gave one Road Board I power to compel another to hear a portion of the expense of boundary works* The bridge would be of use to half the district of Tamahere— about 6000 acres, occupied by about vine settlers. After tome further discussion* Cr. Camming said he hadlistened to both sides, and thought it was only right that Road Boards shonld help each other. Tamahere had gone about the matter rather raßhly, it was true — they ought to have come to the Council first— but something would have to be done in the matter of the bridge. He moved, " That this Council finish the work, and charge the cost to Kirikiriroa Riding, the work to be carried out under the supervision of the County Engineer." This was seconded by Or. Wella, who,

in doing so, wished it to bo understood that in future no application of the kind, where the work haa been done, would be entertained by the Council. The motion was carried. Cr. Fergusson thought the Tatnahere Board ought to be reimbursed something for the money spent on the bridge. He would move, "That the sum of £25 be granted to the Tamahere Board out of subsidies accruing to the Kirikiriroa Hiding, as part payment for the bridge." This was seconded by Cr. Weils, but was lost by the casting vote of the chairman. Cr. Wells moved, " That the case just determined by the Council shall not be taken as a precedent, and that the Council will in future refuse to hear any such application where the works have been done, about which the application shall be made." Cr. Primrose, in seconding this, wished they had drawn the line before hearing this case. The motion having been carried, the Council Adjourned.