THE TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

Press, Issue 11564, 22 April 1903, Page 8

THE TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

MEETING AT RICOARTON. Thirteen Riccarton ratepayers lately petitioned the local Road Board, expressing their regret that, in the tramway engineer's report no mention was made of a Kne to Riccarton, and respectfully asking that a meeting should be called to consider the matter. la accordance with this petition, nearly forty ratepayers met at the Riccarton Road Board office last evening, tbe chairman of the Board (Mr S. A. Staples) presiding. The Chairman stated that the object of the meeting was to consider the best means of having Riccarton road included in the first tramway scheme- It might be said that the road was not in the rateable area, but clause 3 of the Act provided that any district might come in after a petition had been presented to the Governor to that effect. The advantages of the line were pointed out, and it was urged that the Road Board had a very strong point to advance in the fact that only recently, by strenuous opposition, they had prevented a twenty-one years' concession over this route, thereby saving the ratepayers at least some thousands of pounds for the re-purchase of the concession, rails laid, and r^" 1 ?, The Chairman thought that probably the best thing the meeting could do would beto pa.ss resolutions deploring the omnium of the district from the engineers report, and appointing a deputation to.wait.upon the Tramway B Board, and to advocate he claims of the Riccarton road to one of the fiSt lines to be inaugurated. claims was the circumstance that it was a cleTroad, with no concessions to buj, and no existing line to remove or rem}. n» therefore moved-"That this meeting of Elton Sents and tramway ratepayers £ ,C of opinion that the £*!.£ Sockburn should be among the fii£j»» to be constructed by the Tramway Board. Mr W DUfen seconded the motion, ana Mr J E Hansen, in a short speech, hearsaid that as a member of the Tramway Board, he thought that the advertisement'calling the meeting had been rather unfortunately worded. It stated that the object was to consider the advtabitity of tly Biccrton Rood in the first tramway schedule The X"-car ton Road Board was primarily responsible fur causing the principal part of the district to be excluded from the tramways area. Certain boundaries had been defined by the Act in connection with that area, and outside of them the Tramway Board could not go. He advised the meeting to pass a resolution requesting the Riccarton and Templeton Road Boards to decide, first of all, what extent ought to be included in the tramways area. Then, in accordance with the Act, they should circulate a petition in those parts, for presentation to the Governor, asking for incorporation When tlie petition was granted they would be included. It was hopeless, however, for Riccarton to think of getting within th» area in time for inclusion in the first tramway schedule, as the Tramway Board's present scheme would more than absorb the first loan of £250,000, the result of which was pledged to those districts already included. They could only be in time to give Riccarton a first claim to any sum which might be left over from the first loan, and to the second loan. He advised the two road boards not to be too niggardly in arranging the extension, of their boundaries. _ A considerable proportion of the Tramways' Board were in favour of forming a line to Riccarton as soon as possible, and no doubt Sockburn would be one of the points. He would suggest, also, that by means of a side line au "outer circle area" should bo formed, taking in Richmond as well as Riccarton. Until the steps he had indicated were taken, however, and the district was brought within the tramways area, nothing could be done at all. When those measures had been accomplished, he would help them to the best of his ability on the Tramways Board. The Chairman took exception to the statement that the Riccarton Road Board was responsible for the present position of the boundaries. Their resolution on the question referred purely and simply to differential rating. After hearing the resolution read, Mr Waymouth withdrew fiis remark upon this subject. Mr Currey moved, and Mr T. Dkken seconded, the following amendment to the Chairman's motion:—"That the Riccarton Road Board take immediate steps to have the district included in the tramways area." Mr J. J. Dougall pointed out that there was no general desire to have the whole of the district incorporated. The first thing to do was to find what parts they wished included.

Mr Waymouth was of the same opinion, and after some discussion it was agreed that both the Chairman's motion and Mr Currey's amendment be withdrawn. The following resolution, proposed by Mr Dougall, and seconded by Mr Waymouth, was then passed unanimously: —"That steps be taken to incorporate portions of the Riccarton Road district in the tramways area, and that a committee of five be appointed to recommend portions to be so incorporated, and also to confer with the Templeton Road Board." Messrs J. H. Sharpe, S. A. Staples, J. E. Hansen, J. J. Dougall, and F. IM. Warren were elected to form the committee. A motion was next passed asking the Templeton Road Board to call a publio meeting also, for the purpose of appointing a similar committee, to confer with that just elected. The idea is that further meetings will be called to arouse public interest in tlie question, and that petitions will then be circulated for the incorporation«of portions of the district in the tramways area.