TRAMWAY LOAN POLL

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26263, 7 November 1950, Page 6

TRAMWAY LOAN POLL

DISCUSSION AT BOARD MEETING MEMBERS UNANIMOUS ON NEED FOR PROJECT The tramway loan poll, to be held to-morrow, was discussed at length at the meeting yesterday of the Christchurch Tramway Board, and both Labour and Citizens’ members were unanimous in their opinion that the poll should be carried if Christchurch was to have an adequate transport service. Some members of the board said thaf it the loan poll was not carried, Christchurch would ultimately be without any transport service at all. Mr 11. A. C. North said they were at one in dealring that there should be a large poll on Wednesday. The last time the proposal went to the people it had been voted on by only one-third of the ratepayers. "We should have a patriotism for our city which should come long before maintaining any attitude that whatever Labour puts up, the Citizens’ Association must oppose, and vice versa,” Mr North said. “Our city must come first always in this "matter. The vote on Wednesday is on whether the people want a continuation of public passenger transport in Christchurch or not. If we vote against it. public transport will gradually, inevitably, and fti a very costly way, go out. If the public wants an adequate, up-to-date service, it must be prepared to pay for it." Three were only two possibilities for Christchurch, Mr North said. They were trolley-buses or Diesel buses. He hoped the public would realise on Wednesday that it had a duty to the future of the city. The chairman (Mr J. E. Jones) said many people did not want the trams to be scrapped. However, there were 38 miles of track which would have to be re-laid, at a cost of about £2.000.000. When that was done the city would still be left with trams 40 years old. Some people had felt that there was little point in carrying the poll, because the City Council would take over the tramway system, but the council would face precisely the same problem

Cost to Ratepayers Mr Jones said he had been asked frequently how much the scheme would cost. If the whole loan was raised at once, and there was insufficient revenue to meet the loans charges, the cost wdlild be £1 3s 4d per £lOOO capital value. But the loan was to be raised in portions, and the cost would be 5s 3d per £lOOO capital value on the first portion. An analysis of previous loan poll voting had indicated that people in areas served by buses were inclined to oppose the proposal, said Mr C. C. Holland. However, it should be abundantly clear to them that they were just as interested in the scheme as those served by trams. There were trams, with extremely limited lives, on the arterial roads. If there was no money to replace them—and it was absolutely necessary to run services along these routes—buses at present being used in outlying areas would have to be used for that work. Mr G. Manning said it should be made clear that -tne -money would be raised in instalments, according to the part of the system being converted, and that the loan would be spread over 18 years. There would have to be a loan for track repairs, said Mr W. S. MacGibbon. How foolish it would be if the loan proposal was defeated and they had to go to the public for a loan to replace derelict tracks. All the other members of the board spoke in support of the proposal.