WELLINGTON STREETS AND ELECTRIC TRAMWAY.

Evening Post, Volume LII, Issue 58, 31 July 1896, Page 5

WELLINGTON STREETS AND ELECTRIC TRAMWAY.

* PROPOSAL TO RAISE A SPECIAL LOAN.

Complaints about the bad state of Wellington streets are common. Even members of the City Council admit that their condition is most shameful ; but the cry has been "no funds." A proposal that the Corporation should raise a loan to improve the streets and construct an electric tramway was laid before the Council last night in the following letter addressed to the Mayor and Council : — •' The time has I think arrived when the City Council, as a body elected by the ratepayers to carry out the duties requisite to keep and maintain the streets of the city in good and efficient repair, should adopt measures to secure that end. Knowing that the present city revenue will not admit of the large expenditure required to place the daily increasing street area in a thorough and efficient condition of repair, so as to carry the largely increased traffic of the city, would it not be advisable as business men to at once face the difficulty, and provide funds to do these works, not by further increase in the bank overdraft, but by borrowing such a sum of money in the open market as would not only place the streets of the city in thorough repair, but cover also and at the same time the cost of laying down an eleotrio system of tramways which, in the hands of the Council, would earn sufficient to cover the cost of maintenance, and leave a large surplus for repairs to the roads? This would place the city in the position of having good Btreets in place of the very bad roads now existing. A loan of £150,000 would cover the cost of doing both works. This at 3 per cent, would mean an annual charge on the city revenues of £4500. The earnings of the new tramway system woul defray this sum easily — I am confident of that — and leave a large surplus for the carrying out of other city works. I submit this proposal for the earnest consideration of the City Council and of the citizens. The experience of the City of Glasgow, the most advanced municipal city of Great Britain, strongly supports the proposal which I have now the honour to submit to you. — I have, &c, George H. Baylis." On the motion of the Mayor, the letter was referred to the Finance Committee without discussion.