HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 667, 18 November 1909, Page 4

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

■■;'.'.. .(From Our Special Eeoorttr.) ■'.'•-■; . ' ' '. : B. ' '■' ■ ;; : -; ; ;.; •':', tramway proposals.;■•"..": .The Hutt -Yalley Tramway Board met. the ratopayers! of Petone last' night in • the. Oddfollows' ■ Hall, Petone, for tho purpose of ex-plaining-tho proposed tramway system for the iValloy; iMr. Burridge was voted to the 'chair. '"The■-..principal speaker of..the- evening was Mr.:. J: vWi'M'Eivan,' Mayor of. Petone :and chairman; of-the Tramway:' Board. -He first quoted'figures to show'that municipal enterprise in : ;,tramways'; was .superior to private management.:;;; Passing. :,on . to, tho . present schemo ho gave figures and estimates of. cost and earning capacity of the proposed' tram as decided by .various tramway ■engineers. ..The estimated cost, of tho.system decided, on bj ; the tho Board was .£BO,OOO, which wiis over jBIOOO, per mile in excess of' the aotual' cost ■of :constriicting .the, Wanganui. tram service.' : Since preparing their .estimates they had ascertained that, by the Government loan proposals; they would save J per cent; in sinking fund so that their .esbmated'profii wonkLbo' not',£]2oo, but ; .£I6OO. These figures were based on reliable ostimates of working' expenses, and revenue. ob.' tained by comparing the results of tramway systems' run'iindbr similar conditions. Somo people had; stated that the, Tramway Board would supply electrio light and "enter into com-: petition with;.the Potone Gas .Works, but hei would pqint out that the Board had no power to', supply olectrie light for either public of private consumption without the consent', iJdrough'. Council, in whose, district'tho light l was supphed. Even wero this not "so," tho""g.is.wqrks, had: nothing, to-fear from 'the installation 1 of,.electricity,; for.-he-Was' quite■ s'otisfied"'that : . electrio-light could'not; competo'with' 'tliem '> (Applause.-) ,;.■;. ■.'.•'.-. : -'].■■'■-':■,,' ;.'■■■:;■ v ■...•.•: " ,:;In. ! response-to a request from 'a"'gentleman' .R. Stovens, and ;Mr.:H.-Baldwin, Lower .Hutfe members of the-feard, gave their :,views;on'.the; question... Mr. Stevens - stated \that a- question ifsked 1 at the Hutt meeting'in-re-gard to' connecting the Hutt Park with .White's Line' had : bleu considered by tho. board, > and' members'wero prepared to mako; tho, extension of line' if the; necessary extra cost were voted by the .ratepayers. ; - : i',,,;': M.. v.'After a number of questions bad been asked and'■;answered, the: proceedings;' closed ' with votes of thanks- to the Tramway Board and tho ; chairman. '■■.:; .;.■;.' :.;:•■.•,;:;