TE AWAMUTU.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 3

TE AWAMUTU.

Mn Lakk M.H.K. paid the dibtrict a yi-it, on Tuesday, accompanied by Messrs Kllis, Andcisnn, Hntchinfeun, Walter, Teasdale and Nattiass he went to view the various sites suggested for the Fumu bridge. It will be loniomberod that home time ago the Kilnkihi people and the natives agieed to a petition requesting the Government to ercctaliuge budge ovei tlic Puniu. The Government agiccd to comply with the request. When it was known that a budge would be built \ .it ious sites wei o suggested. the To Aw.unntu people wishing to ha\e the bridge built half way between here and Kilnkihi, while othei s suggested Andersons, Martin's and l\ev\ i's fouls as stut.iblc sites The engineei sent to examine and decide, selected the latter a-, the most suitable, the people heic liowe\oi aie not pleased with that site on the ground that it is too far away from this district and if a bridge is to be built, it should bo put midway between the two settlements' so that each may derive an equal shaio of the benefits supposed to acciue fun)) the opening up "f fc he countiy. Tho fact is we weio too slow lime, we allowed the Ivihikiiu people to petition foi the budge, and said nothing until we, found their lequest was likely to be granted, then we wanted to share in the piospcctive benefits. This is quite light, if the centi.il site would be of any ical advantage to either place, but if the bridge is put thine, the traffic fiom the Tokanui and Koiakanui distuct will go to the station on the other bide of the Puniu instead of coining to To Awamutu tlnough Kihikdn. Lot m try and get tho railway budge made suitable for tiafhc, that was distinctly pio mised by a formei Government, though perhs\p-> tin's one may object to c.my <>ut the piomise, failing tin-, let the county council bouovv sirihciont nn>noy undei the Koads and Budge-, Conduction Act, and eiect a bridge vvheie lequned, and th.it is somewhcie close to the lailuay line. Ihe country over the Puniu will be thoionghly o|>ened up by these two budge*, that at Kihikihi will open up tho di-tuct louml Tokauv.i and on to Koi.ikamu .aid the other, all the countiv as fai as Kakipuku, and down to the W.npa. One budge will not be siifhcient foi the i equipments, of thedisfciicfc, and tliecenti.il one, .iltliougli the l)est fiom an engineeung stand point, is not likely to bo on tho main line of load through the king countiy, and that should have con-ideiable in flu ence m determining wheie the budge sliouM be built, foi that is of 111010 impoitance than any consideiation of local beneht. Tliat two budge-, a»o absolutely necessaiy no one foi .1 moment denies, and the most suitable positions aio at Kilnkihi, and near the lailway hue, m these position, theie will be good access to ,\ laige extent of country. Thc-o aie not mattcis of puiely local inteie.st but affect the whole distuct, iiKisinucli as piopcr rommunication by 1 >■«! as well as by lail with the native countiy is a mattci of public inteiest. Undei the Koads and Budges Constiuclion Act only twenty live per cent <>f tlie amount bouowed is to be paid back, and that extends ovci a peuod of ten yeais, so that the extia taxation wiM beiionuii.il. Siuh being the case, thepioject i.m -taitely fail to commend itself to the public.- (Own couespondent.)