CITY COUNCIL AND TRAMS

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24366, 19 September 1944, Page 4

CITY COUNCIL AND TRAMS

BOARD DISCUSSES 5 CRITICISM - ■ ■ - - ■ -v: > , ~ AMALGAMATION NOT YETSM CONSIDERED “I am not going to start any debate^ onfthe amalgamation of local bodies mj| the city. The Tramway Board has not discussed the question yet," said ..Mr M J1 S: Barr, chairman *of the Christ* | church Tramway Board, at a meeting yesterday. The finance committee Of the City Council, .reporting. on pro-. g posals recently, said: “The com-^, rnittee received a request from .o the Drainage Board* to give port to a bill the hoard is promoting providing that when an area elects to come into the city it should automatic cally- come within the ' Christchurch . drainage area. This would take away; from ratepayers in such joining areas-j* the right of voting upon the and the committee is of the opinion -, that such legislation would be unwwe .4 and arbitrary, more particularly as, the--,; bill prepared by the Drainage Board is retrospective.” Mr Barr,. he agreed with, but this was his perj sonal view and not the considered opinion of the board. . Mr Barr also referred to statements by some councillors-about the state Of the tram tracks in Christchurch. Mr P, Hansen, Dominion secretary of the ... Tramway Workers’ Union, had oh- •, served, on a visit to the city last week,, that the condition of the tracks was better than in any other centre in - New Zealand, large or small, Mr Barr . said. The Ferry road tracks were ■.* criticised at the council meeting, said v; Mr Barr, but councillors knew that the -• board had a loan of £IO,OOO available • for the work, but that it had been de-,. ; layed because of the shortage of V material and manpower. The public : was aware, if certain councillors were j not, said Mr Barr, that on the St. Mattins Youte a bus service had been -- started but that this had to be dropped, -: as was the proposed Fendalton ser- ■ vice, when the Government comman- . deered the buses. The council would have to admit that because of war % conditions its own roads were not in the condition they would desire. Mr George Manning said that some . people might be surprised that he had not represented the board’s views at . the council meeting. He had left at 12.15 a.m. and did not know the subject was to be discussed. Mr A. A. McLachlan: I don’t blame you for leaving. “There is a book called ‘Mein Kampf’ written by a very celebrated * ■■ gentleman which expounds the theory that before you commence hostilities ; you should do a bit of propaganda, running the enemy down and exaggerating his faults. This applies to the statements which are coming from the City Council," said Mr H. Kitson, A little _ care , should be exercised inchecking the authenticity of such statements. Mr Manning: They were all Association men. The wo,rks and traffic committee recommended the confirmation of an order for 13 bus chassis as the nucleus of a fleet for the Opawa-Fendalton and St. Martins routes. The chairman said . it would be some years after the war before Diesel buses could be obtained, and it was desired to ensure early priority on these 13 buses in the meantime. The order was confirmed. A 20-minute interval service in place of 30 minutes will be introduced on the New Brighton trip when new timetjibles are introduced next month. A surplus of £1763 was shown in the revenue account for the four weeks ended August 6.