CASHMERE HILLS TRAM ROUTES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13713, 21 April 1910, Page 5

CASHMERE HILLS TRAM ROUTES.

TO rHB EEITOB OF "TUX TRESS." Sir,—lt is not my intention to reply to the further report or the tramway officials published in your issue of Tuesday last, not because I regard it as disposing of the criticism levelled against their first report, but because it is now no longer necessary to discuss and compare the two propositions. Recent events have fehown one, and ono only, of such propositions to do within the realm of practical accomplishment. The battle ot the roiues lias been fought and must be regarded as definitely and finally settled m favour of ilackthorne road. for all practical purposes the controversy can be regarded as at. an end. The Cashmere Trustees, who really hold the key to the position, havo decided in favour of the Hackthome as opposed to the. Dyer's Pass route. That in itself would be enough to effectively settle the matter. In addition to this, not more than three or four people on the Dyer's Pass road would be prepared to bear any portion of the cost of constructing a*tramway up that road, while almost every Ilackthorne road resident would voluntarily put his or her property into a special rating area to hear its due proportion of the loan necessary to be raised to carry the proposal through. If the negotiations now proceeding between the Hackthome committee and the Cashmere Trustees are brought to a successful issue, then wo shall, in the near future, see a Cashmere Hills tramway an accomplished fact. If, however, those negotiations prove abortive, then it is the intention" of the Hackthorno residents to ask the Tram Board to define a special rating district and construct the. tram to the foot ot the Hackthorna road. It seems extremely unlikely that the Dyer's Pass routo will over again coiuo within the. domain of practical politics. If, however, by any mischance the proposal should erer be resurrected, 1 would then be prepared to deal with the reply of the Tramway Board's officials to my criticism of their report, but until then it would be superfluous to discuss the matter further. I a conclusionj I should like to say that I give the tramway officials credit for an honest desire to arrive at a fair and proper solution of a very difficult propositfon. in the consideration of which much must (in the very nature of things) be left to surmise and conjecture.—Yours, etc., A. F. WRIGHT. Cashmere Hills, April'2oth.

TO THE EDITOR OF <! TnE rKF.SS." Sir. —I understand, from the correspoudenco puhliehcd in ''The Press' of Saturday last, that the question of tho direction -which the tramway if to tako on the Cashmere Kills is now settled— ''Sir Oracle has spoken, henceforth let no dog bark." A member of the legal profession has expressed disapproval of the direct route from the present terminus, and apparently neither residents nor holiday excursionists are to havo any further say in tho matter; it only remains for them to "reciprocate," tvhiatever that may mean. There is, however, I note, a ray of hope— wo are told that the Hackthorno road route is noiv to be taken into consideration, so that probably tho Tramway Board will, in duo course, receive final instructions in tho matter. I observe that another correspondent in tho same issue speaks somewhat slightingly of '"the voice crying in the wilderness" (road), but W.G.B. must now alter his tone, for the claims of that locality are, it seems, to bo recognised, and we shall sec, in the words of tho Prophet (if I may follow- up your correspondent's quotation), "the solitary places made glad, and the -wilderness blossom as the roee."—Yours, etc. . A TRAM PASSENGER.