THE KARORI-CITY TRAM.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 113, 15 May 1911, Page 2

THE KARORI-CITY TRAM.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, — Your correspondent, J. E. Jenkinson, in your issue of 12th inst., refers to my letter of 9th met., but he is noticeably . another Thorndon vivisectionifit. Now his project is another case of tinkering with the present line without materially shortening the distance, serving no good purpose, 'jind costing needless expense to tho city. I fail to see any benefit that Would eneu« to the city or Karori to tap Tina-.kori-road at any point. Tinakori-road is a long way from" Karoii, and the lino through it has all it can do now to servo local purposes of transit to resi^ Ljte&ta itt tfes largo area through jjbjch^

that round-about _ lino drags its weary length along, while it also crowds out the Karori public on busy occasions. What I contend for ie the shortened track between the city and Karori. I would certainly prefer to reach the city at a point a little further north than Wordsworth-street, but tho very hilly country for a considerable distance north precludes any but a cable car negotiating the Bteep graded streets or hill-sides. In the proposal I referred to, which was fathered by Councillor Barber, we get round the baee of this hilly country to Taitville by the Aro-etreet 'line, already laid, and * short, easy graded line and a tunnel bring us to the rails again at horsc-ehoe bend. This wa3 tho original scheme, I believe, when the present Karon tunnel was made, and I . think Karori's interests would benefit if they fastened on to thie, the only short-cut into the city, Karori would have more to. gain by shortening the distance than the city. If over Karori is to become a home of the people, as it well deserves to be from its healthy elevation and beautiful sites for ideal homes, it must connect up to the woiking heart of the larger borough. The Willis-street and Cuba-*treet lines would act as feeders to this _ route from the northward. Let any thinking citizen or Karori-ite take a map o! Wellington and figure this out, and if h>e is cognisant of Ihe very mountainous and irregular nature of the land extending • northward from Aro-street and then looks 'at the tortuous and" timewasting detour Thorndonwards from the major portion of the city towards Karori, he will, I think, be converted to a quick run through, via Aro-street. No doubt objections would ' come from local reaidentft ot Aro. street a-nd Wallace-street on the question of through versus local trams, but that ie only a. parochial protest. Let us take the service and use it for the whole community and there will not be so mucb dead running and non-payable track. Ac a citizen of thirty years, a ratepayer, and one who has over taken a livo interest in our i city, I think that if Karori wants to cover its bare hills, increase its tram receipts, and increase ite rate-collectors' duties, it must see to it and connect ap in this, the shortest and comparatively inexpensive, manner _ with the middle and southern industrial portion of the city, and eide-track Thorndon altogether. —I am. etc., , ' FLYING CROW, Wellington, 12th May, 1911.