TARUHERU FOOTBRIDGE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 534, 20 November 1890, Page 2

TARUHERU FOOTBRIDGE.

INTERESTING DISCUSSION. A public masting was held at the City Rink on Tuesday evening to urge upon the Borough OoU’Wji the necessity of taking action to have the Taruharu footbridge repaired. The Mayor occupied the chair. The petition wri signed by the following ! -W. L. File, D. B irry, Geo. E 1 wards, A. lawyer, Jam-s East, William Gault, Oatrid/e and Yeale, F. Hall, W. Clayton, J. Pollock, Oliver Veale, Henry Clayton, James Robb, Joseph Palmer, Vy, Morgan, G. Wildish, Edward Ling, W. 0. and Hugh Bruce. Mr File regretted that there was snob a attendance, which he could only account for by the fact that the papers had given tha matter no publicity in their local columns—probably on account of the space required for political matters, [While Mr File was ape iking the attendance increased from 20 to nearly 40.1 He himself was not personally interested, but had taken it up on behalf of the women and children to whom the bridge was such a great convenience, Some of those persons resident on the other side had made their views known thr ’Ugh the. Press, but unfortunately the piinciptl mover in the matter was hot able »o be present owing to his being laid up by an accident, Thu speaker tyent into the history of the

bridge, leading up to the opinion of Mi Fmn that the bridge was not a legal structure, but lawyers, like doctors, d ff-jred, and legal advice obtained by one gentleman was the reverse to that given by Mr Finn. They at any rate also claimed a right to have an opinion, which was agrinst that given by the solicitor, and the action previously taken by the Council appeared to sh(»w that the bridge was a legal struc ure. They were convi ced that Bdlance street was a pub ic street, and he claimed that the footpath through the recreation ground wan a public thoroughfare. The B »rough had exercised control over the bridge and had engaged men for its opening and closing, and he believed the Auditor-General had always passed the account-*. He might ask the question, had the Council taken over the Grey street bridge ? (Tne Mayor: Thu Council built it.] They ba i also spent money on the Lowe street bri lg a . and if he were to wilfully damage that bridge he would be held liable. According to th-* attitude adopted by the Council the Taruheru fontbridge was now the property of no onp. It was the duty of the Council io repair it. He did not believe half a dozen people would uphold the removal of ih« briige to another si'e. He had been told by practical m-*n that the bridge could be repaired for £7 m £8 He spoke strongly on the necessity of having 'he bridge repaired, and moved that tha meeting consider* the Council should at once repair the dimig- to the bridge. Mr Ezra Smith seconded.

Mr Sigley considered it w&’ clear to everyone that the bridge, if not a legal structure, was a very convenient one. Ic did not seem to him to require debating at all, the bridge being such a great public convenience. He was not a resident near the bri ige, but he quite recognised its importance, and he pointed out that though the Borough collected rates from that side of the river they spent little there except on the bridges. He agreed that permanent repairs might ba left over until all the bodies had conferred, but that did not affect the urgent necessity of temporary repair*. He considered that the County Council should also contribu’e. Mr Harris, as a ratepayer in the Brrough and also in the Whataupoko Road Boa,d district, doubled whe'her, if they attempted to force such a resolution, the Borough Council would be moved by it. The bridge was a matter which concerned the various other bodies, including the Harbor Board. The structure was a great convenience to residents on both sides, and he had no question belonged to the Borough, but he thought the Whataup ko Road. Board and the Council should jointly consider the matter, and he feared that if the motion was carried they would defeat their own object. He would move an amendment that the two bodies should confer to taka action in the matter.

The Mayor said that had already been arranged for. Mr Harris: Well, I will leave it as a suggestion. The Mayor said, if what Mr File had stated was really correct, the matter could easily be settled, for there would be no trouble in getting such a small amount for such a great public convenience. But it was very unfair to attempt to foist the work on the Bor-'Ugh. (Hear, ) When the Whataupoko was being surveyed, it was done in such a way as to keep it gep irate from the Borough, every street being laid out so that there would be no connection, by the streets having a continuous line from each bank. Now Mr File attempted to lay down that the bridge was a legal structure because it had been erected, hut that did not necessarily make it a legal structure so that they could sue anyone who damaged it. The reserve was a recreation ground, not a public thoroughfare, as was the case with the cart bridge Whatever they had to pay on the bridge itself they did not want to waste money by going to law over it; that would not make the bridge any better. Within <he next twelve months the cart bridge would require nn expenditure of something like £lOO nr £l5O upon it, and of that the County would only pay a third, The very reason why the Borough had undertaken to open the footbridge was because they did not want any bother over ic If it wai not opened the Harbor Board wou'd simp'y have made a complaint to the Marine Department, and the Council would get censured. They had w tiled to see what steps the ratepayers of Whataupoko wou'd take, hut they had not even called their Road Board together, and that body had not yet communicated with the Counoil, If the people who w flr e agitating in the matter were wi'ling to put their hinds in their pook u ts, seeing that they so greatly felt the inconvenience nf the interruption of communication he wou’d give a pound to start with. (Ann’ause.) It was unfair for the residents of Whataupoko to expect the Borough to bear such a burden. The former were rated for harhnr purposes at 4s 10£d in the hundred pound*, while th »se in "the B wough had to pay When they had to pay double rates for everything it was quite time to look after themselves. Through the neighboring blocks being opened up as townships they had seen the town nearly emptied, hardly a building having gone un for years, yet they had to maintain miles nf streets. They were anxious to reduce th a ir high rates, recognising that excessive rates were driving the penpie away from the Borough, but unless they paid a very high rate it was clear they could not pnsriblv maintain the bridges. It was not unwillingness on their part in regard to the footbridge; it was a case of wa r >t of m*>ans—if the bridge was so urgently necessary and could be repaired at such a small cost, those who use it should have repaired it long ago. Temporarily repairing it, however, would not get over th* question of whether or not it was a legal structure, and that would probably either have tn be fought nut in a Court nf law, nr the site changed, He considered that, without going tn a lawyer at all, the Public Works Act made it very clear that the bridge was not a legal structure. If they left it to the Borough Council he saw no chance of the work being immediately undertaken. They felt their first duty tn be, before incurring further expenditure, to do one of two things —ei?h*r decide that it was in the right place, or that it should be removed b*lnre being repaired, Mr Sunderland and those who navigated the river informed them that the bridge was io a very bad place, and he thought the number of accidents proved that. [Voices : What about ths other bridge? Andrew Gregg?] For one accident that happ sad at that bridge there were four or five at the fmtbridge. (Mr Oilivier: They n ight not be so oar rial as they are with the oig structure.] It wis not for him to answer that. At any rate they wanted a structure that would not fall over directly (t wps touched. (Hear, hour.) To do that would require n;0 “ money than the Council oou'd at presen devote to it. [Mr Page : Not money—judgmen’’. ] T le Mayor: Will you come up here, Mr Pag*, and give us your views. (Mr Page: After you.] The Mayor : I have doie. Mr File : Has not the present structure received damage before ? The Mayor: Yes. Mr File: Who replaced it. then? The Mayor: The Bomugh and County Council Mr Fi’e : Has that never been rep rid ? The Mayor: Never, not a p*nny. Mr F le ’• You never made a claim? The Mayor: Yes. Mr File: They refused to pay ? The May ir: Yes; claims have been made agniast the persons, but no liability was acknowledge!. Captain Ch isp said a claim had b en attempted to be made against the persins, but it was fnund that the bridge was so faulty ip oqns'ruction that no claim would hold good. He would oppose the moti <n. It was very unfair to the B trough that it should be asked to pay for such damage. T ie work was a great convenience to the resident of Whataupoko and they should help to be ir the cost. Th* Borough had spent nearly £l5O on the bridge, and he did not think it ought to be so. They had borrowed £lO,OlO !6¥ Gladstone road, and had contracted over drafts for other streets, and g. great portion of the rates that ought to be devoted to eucn purposes was now being used for the benefi of Che residents on the Whataupoko. That was very unfair, especially when they were told that the bridge could be repaired for a few pounds, The people who enjoyed the convenience should contribute something toward* i\ Mr Smith was perfectly satisfied that the structure was legal in the first place, because the plan had been returned endorsed by the Harbor Bof rd “ Permission to erect/’ after tho plan bad come back from the Marine Dupsrlraen*. The trouble in first erecting tha bridge was tha amount was 100 low. and there

wa-great trouble in devising a work at snob a lov fiiure, and then there was a further ditlie il'y, tnat 'ha Rowing Cliiin wantei tie distance between th - spans to be a o-r-ain width. In regard to the approach, he eon. tended that the recreation ground was a public thoroughfare, the property of the people of everyone in the B .rough, an t the Councillors were the representatives, and in a sense the servants, of the ratepayers. Unless those ratepayers moved in the mat'er thev onu d not expect their representatives to do anyth,ng. He urged that it would h- mors seosibe to repair the bridge; it won d be very foolish to decide to remove it to another In reply to the Mayor, Mr Smith said he considered it would cost something like £5O or £6O to pat the bridge in its previous order [Voice :S. it would.! If the Committee had at the time accepted his original plan, only one man would have been fpqaired to open it. Mr Jovce sympathised with those to whom the bridge had been su h a great public convenience, bur. he thought the Council was acting in a judicious way in calling all the bodv-s together to confer on the matter. It would be very wrong for them to vote money on a work, and then find no one could he made responsible for any damage that might bo done. The Road Bo .rd, he urged, was a holy that had little funds at command, and could not be expected to bear any great burden He thought the County Council should bear a larger share, and abo that the Harbor Board, which derived a revenue from the cargo that was carried up, should contribute a large proportion. Ho considered it would have been time enough to call a public meeting when the local bodies had held th* conference.

Mr Ling said the bridge was a great convenience, especially to the children. He would sweet, seing th it the Borongh Council had doubts, that there should be a conference called of the tw, Councils the Road Board and the Harbor Board, In the onnrse of a conversation with the County Chairman that gentleman had said the Whataupoko riding was now £l6OO in debt to the general fund. He hoped that the powers that be would try and speed on the work. The Mayor had suggested that they should subscribe towards the bridge, but be and others had already subscribed and did not feel j is'iflei in subscribing again for what neither bo nor his neighbors had broken. He did not favor going to law, because the winners were often losers all the asms. He thought the bridge should be permanently repaired, and he believed the greet majority would be against the site being changed? Mr Somervell suggested that the resolution should ba amended so that the Council would not be asked to bear the whole oost. Mr File : That is my deliberate intention, Mr Somervell then woulit vole against it, He had been on rhe Committee to go into ths plans, and it had struck him than as strange th»y had to makeapp ioatian to the Harbor Board. It was not fair law if chat body bad not a'ao to maintain it. 'Voices: They don't want it; Th‘v’»e got got the breakwater, Laughter ] Ths bridge was a good useful structure, made of good material, and it would surprise anyone to have stood there and see the number that used it. Regarding the site he disagreed with those wh> said it would h“ better else*hrre ; they would knock it down jnst the same anywhere else, and if it was lower down it would be useless, being too near the other bridge. In conclusion the speaker commented strongly on the way 'he roads had b>en surveyed off in North Q'sborne, none nf the "'rents meeting at the river bank. (Voice : That waa Rees ; He wnu'd move go amendment approving of the C mncil take the necessary steps as soon as possible in the way of getting the bridge repaired, on account of its great convenience to the public. In reply tn Mr Smith Mr O’Rvan said the site of rhe bridge hid been approved by the Marine Department before the structure was made. Mr O'livfer seonded the amendment, favoring the ho'ding of a C inference, and approving of the step taken in that direction by the Council. If there must be a highway on both sides a bridge could not be built above the cart bridge. He was a m -mber of the Road B >ard, and he would be opposed to any money being spent on a structure, if it wasil egil. If it were legal they would do their best to subscribe a fair share, though the Board was a very poor body in regard to finances. What wou'd be the use of spending money on a structure that anyone might go ihrongh directly after and break it down, wi'fn'ly nr by accident? Mr Sig’ey explained that he supported th® motion on the understanding that ih»County Council wou’d oontrihu-e a third. The amendment was put and carried by 14 to 9. Mr File wanted the motion to be put, and the result was 8 for and 12 ag-inst, Mr Piethen proposed a vo'e of thanks to the Mayor, and the meeting terminated.

AN EXPLANATION.

Mr E. Smith writes :-eTo the Editor) Sir, —In connection with mv remarks at the meeting concerning the Taruherufnotbridve, my indention was mainly to try and eave the Borough funds, knowing, as I do, that to alter the site would cost a great deal more than to repair the bridge as at present; also to allow that the Marine Department had approved of the plans, as well as of the site. Personally the expenditure on the bridge would bear upon me as a Borough ratepayer, without my deriving the least benefit; but knowing how muon the bridge is used by women and cbldren, I felt it my duty, on public grounds, to join with those nho wished to see something done.

A PROTEST,

To the Editor: Sir,—l think the ieng'b M which tlie footbridge agitation has b<M carried jttstifi>s a few words from the n h*| side. Th" aui'atore have not, it seems to mg, been very discreet, for they will gain nothing by bounce and writing letters asking Ooi>im oillorH tn resign, and talking tommyrot eb Ut £8 or £9 being etiHlcie-it to m.ke ren its that will cost over £5O, besides ms' Ing reflections on the Borough Solicitor, bee tm he gave hie opinion ho->-atty and not just to please the agitators. We in the upper and of the town have hitherto remained eilen', rev cognising that the bridge is a great nt blij convenience and that therefore we ahon fl be prepared to make some sacrifice and 'ry and be neighborly, But there is anoh a t in al going too tar. We have permitted oik rg-w party to be dep-emated in va’ue we bgv| consented to pound after pound tging stent on the bridge, we have allowed th" rec re ition ground to become a highway after the cricket clubs ruini ,g tbemeelvea by spending hundreds of pounds upon it, we have ordered horses tn be taken nut so that uhildr n w uld not be kicked, we have nut up fenee-, urnstiles, etc ; we have changed barbed wire fences so as not to have people’s clothas torn; we have made nice shingled footpaths, and maintained them : we have done these things and more, maio'y for the residents of Whataupoko, denying ourselves proper roads; we have allowed our Councillors to be abns id, and aUd nothing when we were called selfish; we have allowed our public men to •; end much of their time in attending to bridge matters; wh have borne with the spectacle of the North Gisborne residents first snubbing those who opposed the foreshore affair, and we see them idle now while the wharf is growing into a woolshed. Th-se and many more things have we stood, but we must now put down our foot, and sav the Borough will not lax i' elf t ■ go jntfi litigation with moneyed men like at e tblsgi Company; if liny misappropriate funds lot repairing a structure declared to b" •Hegel, there will be a quarrel wialtm the house, and our neighbors who have forced ii on will have the spectacle of private ratepayers taking action to make the Councillor" personally responsible tor such misappropr’ation, for ft would be no'hing else in face of advice,—l am. etc,,