KARORI'S PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1153, 14 June 1911, Page 4

KARORI'S PROBLEMS.

A SHORTER ROUTE. DEPUTATION TO THE COUNCIL. ' THE PROPOSAL OPPOSED. A deputation of about 35 persons, including a number of ladies, waited upon the Karori Borough Council last evening to protest against tho proposal to extend the tramway from Karori tunnel to a junction with the Kelburne line, in order to shorten tho route to the city. Just before it received the deputation, tho council considered, and granted, an application by a special committee appointed to consider tho question of tho shorter route, for an extension of time in which to bring down its report. The deputation was introduced by Councillor Burn.

Mr. C. I. Dasent (late Mayor) acted as spokesman for the deputation. It had come, he stated, to protest against an apparent tendency on the part of the council to consider tho adoption of a shorter route by .extending tho lino to Kelburne. It was unfortunate that the Special Tramway Committee had not yet reported. Possibly, on tliat account, this deputation was a little premature. Its members- were considerably dismayed at the direction in which things were tending. It seemed that tho object of the committeo was to establish communication with Lamb ton Quay by way of Kelburne. Tho deputation, continued Mr. Dasent, objected to tho inauguration of any scheme that would tend to increase expenditure. The ordinarily accepted idea was that tho council intended to ask permission of the City Council to lay ft line across Kelburne. Whatever way tho line went, whether by way of Kelburne, Sydney Street, or Hill Street, it would have to pass through city territory. 'rile city could not give the borough power to break tho law, The 1 council could not legally expend money upon a public work outside its own area. A special rating area would have , to be declared to mako tho transaction legal.

What the Deputation Feared. The members of tho deputation, pursued Mr. Dasent, were quite content to leave the matter to a decision by a poll of ratepayers, but there was an impression abroad that the Echeme might be carried out by other methods. Tho city might be asked to construct the line, and to find the money, tho borough paying a subsidy of an amount sufficient to cover interest and- sinking fund This Was one of the things the deputation, had como to protest against. Tho transaction described might lie legal, but, if it were carried out, tho Karori people would have to provide from the general fund a sum sufficient to meet tho expenditure on a. now line. Some time previously tho Kelburne Cable Company had offered to provide a subsidy of ,i'3oo per annum if their line were connccted with the Karori line. Expenditure on a new line would be discounted by this amount. Members of the deputation were all opposed to acceptance of tho Kelburne Company's offer. It was utterly inadequate. If the nQW line should be constructed, 600,000 penny fares per annum would be placed in the hands of the Kclbnrno' Company. This was equivalent to an annual amount ot ~£2500 for ever to the company. "Forever" in their case meant until they were taken over by tho city. In consideration of this gain of .£2500 per year, they proposed to pay an annual subsidy of .£3OO, not 12 per cent, of the amount they would gain.' Promoters of the proposal to build tho new line would urge that tho company offered another concession. They were going to reduce their fare to Id. This sounded well, until it was analysed, but where else in the world did travellers pay a'Hh'reep'enny, fare for' travelling over 31 chains of tramway. If. the'fare weje rc-„ dueed to Id. it would lie at tho rate of a little over 2d. per mile. The shortest penny section in- the'-'-'btfreughwas '55 chains long, and all agreed that it was too short for a penny section. Thero was thus no great catch in the concession offered by the Kelburne Company. Financial Difficulties. Any traffic carried on the projected line, Mr. Dasent contended, would.be diverted from .tho council's existing Hno from the Gardens to the Tunnel. The work done by the speaker during the past two or three years was being endangered. He had laboured for nearly threo years to convinco the city authorities that they should make tramway provision for their own people. Six months ago it had been clearly understood that if a shorter route wero made the cost would have .to •bs '.borne by ■ the • city.. ■ After this, whatever route the city might select, Kelburne, Hill Street, or Sydney Street, tho borough would be called upon-to provide, by subsidy or otherwise, soino portion of the cost. Members of the deputation had come, said Mr, Dasent, not to lecture the council, but to protect their own pockets. A less of ,£GOO on the latest tramway extension would have to be reckoned upon in any case. If the lino to Kelburne were built, everything being taken into 'account, the borough would have .to face an annual tramway loss of .£9OO. A Reassuring Reply. Replying to Mr. Dasent, the Mayor (Mr. C. Cathie) stated that, although it had set up a committee to consider the question, of a shorter route, the council was not committed to any proposal. Neither was it unanimous. Three councillors opposed the proposal outright. The speaker was opposed to the construction of the line to Kelburne, as he had always been. Admitting that an impression had gained ground that tho council strongly favoured tho construction of a shorter route, Mr. Cathie remarked that this was quite outside its work as a council. It was not bound in any way to accept the report which wag being prepared by the city engineers. To a question by Mr. Dasent, the Mayor replied that ho would never dream of pushing through any tramway enterprise without first submitting tho matter to a poll of ratepayers. If necessary, ho would resign his seat rather than allow anything to go through-without a poll having been taken. Even supposing an arrangement could be made by which the city would construct the works and finance tho line, tho' speaker would not consider it a straight way of treating the ratepayers to deny them an opportunity of expressing an opinion upon the matter at a poll. Mr. Dasent having thanked the Mayor and oouncil, on its behalf, the deputation withdrew.