BLENHEIM RD., DEANS AVE.

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29057, 20 November 1959, Page 17

BLENHEIM RD., DEANS AVE.

Traffic Lights Advocated Traffic lights or a compulsory stop instead of the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Blenheim road and Deans avenue .were strongly advocated by Mr N. R. Forbes when Labour Party candidates for the City Council addressed a small group of listeners at the comer of Lyttelton and Neville streets in Sprey■don last evening. The installation of traffic lights at the intersection had been criticised on the ground that cars coming down off the Blenhe’m road overbridge might tend to run into the rear of cars stopped for traffic lights at the corner. But this could be overcome by installing auxiliary lights on the top of the bridge, which would warn motorists whether the red or green light was showing at the comer, said Mr Forbes. The candidates spoke in a near south-west gale, sheltering under a shop veranda, while a few listening sat in the comfort of their parked Cars to listen. One or two cars, however, drove off before the meeting was over. Mr Forbes said that he felt there was really.no need to construct a roundabout at the Blenheim road-Deans avenue intesection at all. It was a T-intersection, and everyone knew that the rule of giving way to the right applied when going on to or coming off Blenheim road.

“But the Riccarton Borough Council wants a roundabout, although they’re not giving away any of their land,” Mr Forbes said. ‘‘But they don’t mind the city’s land being taken.

“It’s proposed to cut into our park and destroy five or six trees in order to widen the roadway for this roundabout—and roundabouts are not the answer,” said Mr Forbes. Increase in Rates

•Mr-W. W. Browne devoted most of his speech to a criticism of rising rates under the Citizens’controlled council. He quoted from his own rate demand to show that his rates had risen 3s 8d in three years under a Labour council, and £4 6s in three years under a Citizens’ council—“just a shilling short of a 50 per cent, increase,” Mr Browne said.

Mr H. P. Smith had said that the rate increase was largely taken up in wages for council employees. He wondered how much was taken up by the salaries of 12 engineers employed at £l3OO a year, and how much was taken up in wages for extra staff to "look after” those 12 engineers. “Mr Smith also favours the ward system for council elections. If that system had been brought in for this election, tbere’d have been a lot of movement by Citizens’ candidates,’* Mr Browne said. “Only five of them live within the city. Fourteen are voting by proxy by virtue of their own business premises or premises they occupy.” ‘Trees for the Ratepayers” Christchurch residents would have the privilege of electing four cut of 15 candidates for the Catchment Board, and also had the privilege of paying 59 per cent, of the board’s rate —about £lOB,OOO, said Mr E. C. Leach, who is also a candidate for the Catchment Board. ' Part of that rate went in subsidising tree-planting schemes, so the ratepayers should have- the benefit of the revenue when the trees were milled, he said. The board had control of 240,000 acres of waste land in the Waimakariri riverbed, which should be planted in trees, and the ratepayers get the benefit of them. Under the present set-up, the ratepayers were subsidising farmers to plant trees. Farmers had planted 23,000 trees two years ago, for which the ratepayers provided £lBOO subsidy. The farmers received the revenue from their milling, the only stipulation -being that they had to plant a new tree for each one cut down.

“The trees should be planted for the benefit of the ratepayers, who pay the bill,” Mr Leach said. Mr Leach said he also favoured more commercialese being made of shingle in the Waimakariri riverbed.

Mr George Manning, the Labour Mayoral candidate, wound up the meeting by saying that if residents of Christchurch wanted good administration of their city affairs, they should vote in a Labour council.

“Vote Labour on Saturday, and I’m positive you’ll never regret it,” urged Mr Manning.