THE TRAMWAYS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12497, 7 May 1906, Page 8

THE TRAMWAYS.

TO THK EDITOR OF "THE TRESS." Sir.—At la«t meeting o7 the Tramway Board the Finance Committee recommended that in view of the financial pa-nit ion of the Board the order for special work for Cathedral Square be not placed at present, whereupon Mr Dougall remarked "he was becoming convinced every day of the absolute necessity for some alteration of tho system in Cathedral square, for the bettor handling of the traffic. According to the report, the Board v.*as preparing for a considerable extension of the pystem, and this would all mean additional traffic, which would tend to block Cathedral square/ Replying to thin Mr Stead "thought the Board "dir.uld complete the work in the outlying districts beioro they went in for any supplementary work. Ho was quite prepared to admit the necessity of the extra work in the .Square, but they must remember the people in the outlying districts, who had assumed tho " rc-sponf-ibility tor the loans, and who had a right to have their d'st rict-. served as originally arranged before any supplementary work was undertaken." In thiii connection, I would venture to point out that the matter referred to hy Mr Dougall is of such paramount importance that it admit--; of no delay. Tlie outlying district*? have had perforce to wait umil the Board could Took after their interest-, and in view of the extreme urgency of the .Square difficulty, which mtiist, of course, become j much graver whou the Exhibition is 'open, .the work could Mire'y wait a j little longer. The present necessity for inmo rtepo to be taken to relieve tbo increasing congestion of the Square 1 lie apparent to everybody. What i should have been done long ago. as many corre-pandents of the local papers • have pointed out. wa-" to lay a double track right, through the Squ-.re arid in ; front of the Cathedral. And it. was ', Sir Gray'f Ptronunuf advocacy of this plan. 1 have no hesitation iv Raying, , that was mainly responsible for the , overwhelming majority he gained when a candidate for the Mavcralty. The tra".i traffic will never flow smoothly and satisfactorily until the cars are ' enabled to run right through tho city 1 without making that awkward and time 1 wasting detour round the back of the 1 Sn.tiare past the Godley fitatuo; mean- ' time, Mr Dougall« motion at the laf-t ■ meeting of tli3 Board " That the cngi- ■ neer bo instructed to ropoit on the ' question of making a loo|>-line round ■ the Square on the pouth side, for the t : convenience of the steam trams.'* 1-* * j c.eci(".e;lly to be commended. That I loop-lint* would nut only he \ eon veil iI ene'e tor the steam tram.-*, hut would j allow of tlie e'ectric ciii- arriving at ' the Square fiom Linwood running l round at the back ot the Cathedral^

emergins at Colombo street .*., Hank oi New Zealand corner, a.5 _S? tinning right through tlie ofj?* city without check or lilndranoe TK is much truth in the old eajW th*? "time is money." and the iiiorttb!! the Board can save in connection witu the running of the care and. tuT quicker dispatch they can off-si- pai-_J»_ ' gers. the more money will they mtjJT * —Yours, etc., * CITY;