CITY TRAM MANAGEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1243, 27 September 1911, Page 5

CITY TRAM MANAGEMENT.

♦ ; TO COME UP ON MONDAY. ; Tho management of tho city's tramways tuidorOikin^ —tlio biggest vculuro which Wellingtcn lias on hand at present—was sot down lor discussion at a special meeting of the City Council last night. As it happened, tlio report was not discussed, but the council took the greater portion of an hour in deciding ..tiat the time was not onnortuno (o do eoY Some" time ago it occurred to tho council that tho tramways management ought to bo investigated, and , after investigation approved or amended. There was a proposal that tho system should be reported upon by an outside expert,- but. in the en<l it was dwided that the tramways engineer (Mr. S. liiehardsou) should report upon it first. His report was duly presented to tho council, but considera- , tion was reserved for a special mooting, which was held last evening. At tho outset the Acting-Mayor (Mr. J. Smith) said that tho Mayor was too unwell to bo present, and no thought that . . tho council should <lofor consideration ) until ho could attend. Ho moved that ~' consideration l)o postponed until Monday " afternoon. ... '

Then followed a discussion in which every member excent Councillor Godbor took part. There were two cvcnly-balanc-cd factions, tho one in favour of going . . ou with t'ho report, and the other in fav- ' : our of delay. Tho main" reason advanced in favour of postponement was ns indicated above—tho Mayor's absence. On the other hand, the present unrest among the , tramway men was advanced as a reasou ] of immediate action. - Members who thought tho matter was too urgent to. postpone said that tho Mayor had no spo-. .- cial or expert knowledge, and tho council might just as well go on with (he business. They thought, too, that it had been ■ ■ deferred too long already. In the end (ho Acting-Mayor's motion.. was carried on a division as follows:— , ' Ayes.—Councillors Atkinson, Cohen, 'i Flolcher, Frost, Godber, Shirtcliilo, Smith, and Trevor. Noes.—Councillors Barber, Cameron, Fitzgerald, Fuller, Ilindmarsh, M'Keuzie, and M'Larcn. ' * It was agreed beforo tho motion was; put that tlio report. WD.uld be dealt with on Monday, whether the Mayor was ahlo to attend or not. Thero is to bo no further postponement. ~_.-, .'■:',.■■:':