WESTERN ACCESS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 48, 25 August 1931, Page 10

WESTERN ACCESS

MAYOR'S ATTITUDE

BOWEN STREET ROUTE

STKOtfG OPPOSITION

Tho chief subject of discussion at the annual meeting of tho Wellington Batepayers' Association last evening was that of "'Wcsteni Access." The president of the association, Mr. Harold H. Miller, said they might find some persons who had grounds for contesting "certain of our arguments, but no ratepayer can question the right of all ratepayers to have so important a matter decided by a vote of all those who will be called upon to foot the bill." Mr. J. D. Sievwright said the Prime Minister recently admitted that the weakness of his Budget was that it encroached on the country's financial reserves. The weak-ess of the City Council to-day was that they were seeking to entrench upon the reserves of tho tramways for tho laying of more tramways. That was a bad system of finance. The council also wanted to prosecute this work against the ratepayers' decision in 1929, and also against the ratepayers' petition. The Mayor was now trying to get round those decisions—he was trying to beat the ratepayers and the association. He moved:— That this meeting of Wellington ratepayers hereby agair. protests against the Mayor's proposal to make a fourth means of access to the western suburbs I>y way of Bowen street, for tho following reasons: (1) That this proposal was turned down by the ratepayers' vote in 1929. (2) That on the City Council applying for an Order-in-Council to proceed with the work in December of last year the ratepayers again protested by petition to the Governor-in-Council that such order should not issue. (3) That the petition still stands as the ratepayers' condemnation of tho Bowen street project, and is not annulled by the Mayor's suggested deviation by way of Museum street. (4) That tho Government must tako^ cognisance of tho ratepayers' petition against the proposal apart from the objection that a tram line would disturb tho amenities of the Houses of Parliament, because one of the Government Departments, viz., the Public Works Department, has declared that tho ratepayers' petition was perfectly in order, and must stand as the expressed determination of ratepayers against tho projected additional or fourth route of access to the western suburbs. (5) That it is one of the most flagrant violations of sound finance to encroach upon reserve funds designed to extinguish loans, and that the Mayor's proposal to so entrench upon sue 1 funds must bo regarded with disfavour and objection by ratepayers generally. (6) That the Mayor's having acknowledged that tho tramways revenue has declined by over £20,000 in the past four months is a further reason why the reserves of tho tramways should not bo squandered upon this or any other extension of tram lines in a time of financial stress and commercial depression. (7) That, as it is now admitted that the total cost of the whole work will exceed £80,000, most of which is borrowed money, borrowed without the sanction of ratepayers, and must become, if not now, a charge upon the rates, the saving of £2000 in running expenses, as the Mayor states, does not warrant the City Council proceeding further with the-venture under, existing conditions. (8) That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to tho Prime Minister with a request that it should be given consideration if any application is made to the Government for an Order-in-Council to proceed with a work which the ratepayers of Wellington have already twice condemned as extravagant and nnneeessary. KEIiBURN ROUTE. «-^ Ir; ? 1 urbiaec thougl>t that Karori was well served at present in regard to tram facilities. He referred to the ThT™ r G &d«ti« of London! The City Council should give most serious consideration to any proposal to expend money on tramways at the present & T{" M*yor a** councillors should be asked to honour the pledees given by them at the elections. ■ g Mr. Scott remarked that reference was made m tho resolution to a t^°f f a + ? ccss-," He drew attention to the fact that the people of the district put their hands m their own pockets and formed the Karori-Kelburn Bus Company. Therefore tho reference to a fourth access" should be modified, lhe new proposed route would mean a great saving m running expenses He made an appeal for support to be given to the Mayor's scheme Messrs. Hanify and E. J. Stephens supported tho resolutions. The question of the tram service of the people on the present tram route between Molesworth street and Sydney street was raised. A SPECIAL RATE? .*£• Sievwright, in reply, said that if Karori wanted the new tramway it was not unreasonable to ask them to be rated for it; but in such case he would advise them that the new line would not pay. Yet the people of the city as a whole were being asked to bear tho additional burden. The scheme which he advocated for Karori was this: that tho Kelburn cable tramway be taken over by the city, and the new tram line run through Kelburn. That line was already laid over the new viaduct. If the new Bowen street line were constructed he ventured to think that tho people of Karori would not be satisfied with it for six months, and the Karori people would be advocating a now tram lino via Kelburn. Tho resolutions were adopted with ono dissentient voice. A letter was read from Mr. Gerald Fitzgerald apologising for his absence, and expressing his opinion that there should be some discussion upon the imprudence of any further tramway construction except upon such routes as could not bo served by buses. "When iiny particular tramway was under consideration," he said, "wo are ton prone to permit tho matter to be discussed as a question of routes when it is more important to consider whether it is not au unwise policy to construct the tramway at all."