HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 560, 15 July 1909, Page 8

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

(From Our Special Reporter)

EXPANDING PETONE. STEAM TRAMS AND GOODS DELIVERY. Thoro is very httlo reason to doubt that Petono is destined to become in the near futuro a great industrial and 'commercial centre. "What it feels that it wants most Borely at present—and tho want will certainly bo felt moro as time goes on—ib improved means of transit As reported jesterdaj, tho Hon.' J. A. Millar is personally f prepared to grant powers to looal bodies in tho Hutt district to acquire Hutt Park rall--1 way'on the samo terms that the Government oro ablo to eeouro under their powers The Major of Petone (Mr. J. W. li'Enan) has * suggested that this is a matter which, considering tho area of tho tramway district, proporly comes under tho jurisdiction of tho i Hutt Valley >Tiamway Board, and at Fn- ' 'day'B meeting of that body, of winch ho 'is ohairmtei, ho will deal with that aspect of tho question. t Besides this, Mr. Robert Stevens, a member of the Tramway Board, has gLven notice of motion for next meeting that,a steam service bo proceeded with at once over eleven and a quarter miles, at a cost of £63,000,, Mr. H. S. King's estimate Tho route to bo covered by the proposed system is from the Petono Railway Station, along tho Hutt Road to the Hutt»Station, through Railway Avenue, across the bridge to Park Avenue, then from Petono Station through Jackson Street, through%Cuba Street, jdinfing tho mam line at the Hutt School corner, and from Cuba Jackson > Streets ' across tho new pipe bridge, now in course of erection, up Racecourse Road, round the , Bellevue Gardens, joining both of*tho other | routes at Feist's' corner A branch ]mo runs down the Aliddlo Waiwetu Road Tho „ numberi of cars proposed'; to bo utilised is eight, and tho estimated piofit for,the first year's working is s /£lB7 la all probability, the motion will bo, carried. ~ Speaking to a Dominion representative on the question, Mr. M'Ewan said. "Assuming that steam traction is adopted, and the gauge of tho rnds made the same as the Government railway lines, 3ft Bin, and railway metals put down instead of ordinary tram rails, 'which experience has proved is ' perfectly feasible'ih"-the case &{ a consider- , able portion of,tho Christchurch tramways, .then 1 if tho board! acquires th'o Hutt Park line, that lino could bo cxtouded to Gear ' Island, which could be used for freezing works purposes, or for any other industry I am sure that a number of important industries would bo certain to' locate themselves thore if these facilities wero given for tho transit of goods and material If , tho Harbour Board would strengthen the Petone Wharf, and agreo' to' tho proposal '' to' put down rails on it, tho rails could be connected Up with the line, and, m that way, tho wholo of tho tramway system of Hho district would bo brought into touch ' with tho Government railway Bervico and , wharf Under tho Tramway Empowering Act, tho board ean convey goods to any part of tho district served by tho tiamway 11 system,' and tho Petono Borough Council - v could arrange for tho laying ot a special ,' lino of rails to tho gasworks, via Buick Street, which was contemplated by the council m cxistenco at the timo the street was laid out, nmo or ten years ago, and accordingly it' was greatly widened. This latter line, would bo advantageous ,for the conveyance of coal to tho works. Special trucks would, have 'to be procured, and no doubt coal could be conveyed cheaply to the ordinary consumer.",, s HUTT BOROUGH AFFAIRS. , i i At last night's meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough Council, Councillor Baldwin moved: "That Mr. Meason bo instructed to give a detailed report a< to the exact value of the work done in connection:* with the sewerage works np to March last/ particularly as regards the erection of the septic tanks, pur>i , chase of land, and machinery for same, the pipes actually laid, and all pipes and plant ia hand for the carrying out or tho sewerage ■porks." The mover stated that the Borough Engineer had given tho exact information as - to the cost of tho works Councillor MacasWl .opposed the motion, « he thought the borough would benefit very little by it. „ „ The Mayor: 1 don't agree with, you over that. I will rot oppose the motion. The motion found no seconder, and lapsed Councillor Baldwin then moved that a (report be iaid on the table showing the dates of the appointments of Messrs. A Cometti, J. Gardner,, and J. Ingram. l < The Mayor. I will second that. We can takexthe discussion in committee ' Councillor Baldwin opposed this The Mayor 1 For obvious reasons we should go into committee. Ono reason is that li may be necessary to take some evidence, and it is only right that the employee' should give evidence without its being pub lished. This was agreed to Councillor Baldwin: I hope the engineer's reply to the questions asked last Friday will bo handed to tho.pressc L ' ; - Tho Mayor At the end of the inquiryCouncillor Baldwin: Not to-night? 1 ' Tho Mayor. No; this is a leport to a , committee. Tho previous reports wero ad "i, dressed to the council The council then proceeded to go furthei into the question "of the expenditure of the ' r £52,000 loan in''committee, but nojdecision was arrived at, and the proceedings were ad journed till "Wednesday next i ,f ' JOTTINGS 1 Tho anniversary 'social in connection witl St, David's Presbyterian Churdh (Petone , was held last night "■ ' Tho Lower Hutt Wesley Church is havinf a gallory erected to proviao increased accom modation Two cases of 'scarlet fever have been re ported m the Lower Hutt Borough Ono n i 4in King's' Road and tho other in Queen'i 'Road } Tho annual Ball of tho Petono Navals wai held last night. Tho attendance was large tho airangemcnts very complete, and thosi present spent a 'very enjoyable evening Mi.' W S. Short, tho commissioner an pointed to go into the question of the ab sorption of Gear Island by the Petone Bor ough, will decido the time and place of th< inquiry shortly 'Tho Hutt Borough Counci solicitors are being instructed to represon tho, council when tho commission opens The number of houso connections that hav< ~ been made to tho Lower Hutjj water mains't< date is 441. At _ tho Petono Police Court yesterda; morning, beforo Messrs R Mothes and T W Caverhill, JP.'s,,a middle-aged mai named Martin Hobui was sentenced''to si: 1 months'"imprisonment for vagrancy Tho amount expended on public works n . ' the nutt Borough for the fortniglit endm; July 7 was £330 13s Bd. The principal item i wero —Western sowage, £243 3s lid , east • ern septic tank, £55 16s sd. ' 1 The question of appointing a successor ti » Mr D. P. Jones, sccrctarv of tho Trauma' T Board, will come up at Friday's meeting o j the board ' < Tho cutting up of tho Wainui-o-mata Eoa( ! bv_ heavy-wheeled traffic came up v atllas t night's meeting of tho Lower Hutt Borongl f Council, and it was decided that a carefu | recoid of the cost of repairs should bo kept ' , and that tho Wellington City Council, am ,' also the contractor for the cartago of the ma I tenals should be notihed that the counci i will oxeroise tho powers conferred by th Municipal Corporations Act.