HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 960, 29 October 1910, Page 3

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

; . ' OPPOSING THE TRAM SCHEME. (Prom Our < Special. Correspondent.) . There were an attendance of about 60 ratepayers; at the meeting held at Pe'ton4 last evening, in'opposition to the Hutt Valley Tramway Board's proposal to raise a loan of. £85,000. " Mr. S. V. Burridge, who was voted to the ,chair, stated that '|tlie' meeting had been ; convened ; for . the, purpose of. opposing and defeating the loan proposal which was to be decided shortly; He called! upon' Mr. Piper/to'give his views of the question.. . 1 ...Mr.. J. .Austin. (a. member . of v the Tramway Board): "May I ask, Mr. Chairman, if -any other;■ speakers will be allowed to address this meeting?" . • The chairman:' "No. You have had your' opportunity .of- addressing - the ratepayers, and the speakers must hare a fair go." ' Mr. Austin announced that be would address a meeting iu favour of the proposal on Tuesday night. ; Mr. Piper then proceeded with his address. After referring to-the'question of syndicates, which, ,he said, were negotiating with the" Hutt 'Valley councils, lie went on to.state that at the last poll the voting : against" the loan was decisive. and lie, with many others, considered that the time was' inopportune for tramways in the valley. He spoko in detail of several 'questions relative to tho Petone Borough and its Mayor, and 1 then went on to say that, so far as the expenditure of the trams was'concerned, ho .could not see how ■ they, were going to pay., As to the chairman of the board s assertion,- /that, in Petone, ratepayers enjoyed more; privileges now than was the.cass years'; ago,'.and, were no as heavily rated. Mr. Piper quoted' the rate-book, and asserted, that there had been (in some cases) a decrease in rates, whilst, in others, the rates had become heavier. A thing more necessary ..to the borough.than trams.was a sewerage scheme, but, if that! scheme were placed before the ratepayers, it would bq "bumped out." They also wanted a municipal-theatre, and public baths. If jit were nonsense to talk, of these attractions, it was nonsense to. talk about borrowing £85.000. A great deal of rolling stock would be required to cope wjth tho traffic for the early morning trains',, and the thing did not look healthy, for it must be borne in mind that' there would be little traffic during the day, and wages would have to be paid, just -the' ; same. . • Another strong fea;son ■■ ;was the.^'. Government's scheme to harness the rivers of tho Dominion for the purpose of generating electricity. ' 1 . •*{ Mr. Valentine, the next speaker, said that at the last poll the chairman of the Tramway Board (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) had stated that: "Tho poll could be looked upon as a moral victory," which appeared to the speaker as if all those who voted against the loan had voted "immorally." He urged the ratepayers to get. rid of the board, and appealed to all 'to assist by recording their votes against, tho sphemo. It would bo to the general interest of tho borough to. reject it. • !

Mr. Curtiss stated that at Wanganui, which liad been quoted as on a par with tho Hutt Valley for tramway purposes, tho first tramway loan was 25,000, and it was then found necessary to raise another £30,000 to complete tho schemo. Tho Hutt Tramway Board, under tlio Act, could borrow up to £150,000 and if the board's present .request for £85,000 was granted, and it was found that they could not complete the scheme without asking for more, what would happen thon, to the Hutt Valloy? A vote of thanks to tho speakers was carried. A number of ratepayers remained after the close of the meeting, at tho request of | tho chairman, and formed themselves into a committee to take further stops in opposition to the loan proposal. -