THE HILL STREET TRAM

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 2, 2 July 1926, Page 8

THE HILL STREET TRAM

WHY CIVIC LEAGUE SUPPORTS IT

STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE

CONFUSION AMONG-.OPPONENTS

OF SCHEME,

In a further statement to a "Post" reporter, Mr. D. M'Laren, secretary of the Civic League, to-day summed up, as from his executive, the points which led that body to support the Hill street tramway deviation proposal.

"With reference to 'The Post's' leader on tramway route reports," said Mr. M'Laren, "it is stated that before the writing of the article inquiries made led to the understanding that the report supplied by Mr. Cable to the Civic League delegate had .not been placed before the council. We can understand that that is correct, but at the same time there was nothing in the statement which could not" .havo been known by any councillor, or indeed by any citizen who took the trouble to make inquiry. . "We recognise that 'The Post' is correct in stating that the council of 1926 should not consider itself bouyl by a report of 1912, but it surely must bo evident that the early report by one of three engineers of high standing will still carry considerable weight. The chief point made in the article was with reference to Mr. Morton's report of 1923, and it is stated that on that oceasioji when Mr. Morton surveyed all routes he did not mention Hill street. As 'The Post' will recognise, an officer of the council is most likely to report only on those matters upon which he is asked to report, and at the time Mr. Morton drew up his report Hill street was not under. consideration, b s ut there was then an idea that a tram route could be carried through Museum street, and the Government had not at that stage indicated its strong objection to that being done. We understand that the routes on which Mr. Morton reported were those on which he wa« asked to report, and those did not include Hill street. In any case, it is unlikely that if Mr. Morton had reported on Hill street he would have done anything else than to repeat his former information and advice. It is to be noted that iii the 1923 report Mr. Morton did not recommend any one of the routes; he merely supplied the information.

"BACKING AND FILLING."

"My executive has every sympathy with the general principle maintained by 'The Post,' that prior to the undertaking of large city works, the fullost investigation should be instituted. When we objected to 'a policy of backing and filling,' we did so on the ground that it should be assumed that when the council, having recommendations from its committee, backed by expert reports, before it, discusses a. problem and comes to a decision by a large majority, to reverse the decision arrived at and to leave the whole thing in midair is a strong indication of weakness.

"We cannot but note that those who are opposed to the Hill street deviation are very much divided in their opinions as to what is required. One section wants a cable tram up to Mount street, and transport thence to Northland and Karori. Another section wishes the council to purchase the Kelburn tram, with bus services from the top of the hill. The third section advocates a tram via Bowen street, whatever that will entail. And then there is the plea for an arterial road, which seems to imply that the idea is one of motor transport. Whether the advocates of the latter proposal mean that the tram rails right through to Karori should be cut out is not very clear.

"With this confusion among the opponents of Hill street and the great difficulties which may be encountered in any scheme for securing an arterial road via Bowen street, our executive feels that the whole question of proper access to the western suburbs may become a game of battledore a"nd shuttlecock which, may be carried on for years. The league holds that the Hill street deviation would be an economy for the city in comparison with the present long detour and that it should be undertaken even if other means of access to these suburbs are to be provided as well."