THORNDON RAMP

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 57, 5 September 1934, Page 10

THORNDON RAMP

ANOTHER DEPUTATION

"MORE THAN LOCAL WORK"

CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL

In flic opinion of the City and Suburban Highways Board a ramp and overbridgo to carry traffic across the railway lines from the now Thorudon reclamation road is a necessity, and today the board decided to make further representations on the mutter to tho Government by a deputation on which, it is suggested, should be represented local bodies of the Wellington area, the Automobile Association, the North Island Motor Union, and the I Chamber of Commerce.

The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, referred briefly to the previous discussion by the board, and said that the proposal then put■ forward was that the board should obtain legislative authority to increase its borrowing powers and should raise a loan for the work, the interest and sinking fund upon which, by virtue of the arrangement between the Main Highways Board and the local Highways Board, would be carried by the Main Highways Board. Mr. Hislop said that he and the Town Clerk had approached the Minister and the Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. A. D, Park, who took the view that the benefit from a ramp would be eC local and not a general one, and that the ] local authorities of the Wellington area already received their share of the pet-1 rol tax. They said that they could not recommend an alteration of the present legislation. That being the attitude of the Government, continued Mr. Hislop, there were two other alternatives for examination, subject to the Railway Department making a fair contribution, iirst, to set up a commission, or to agree j to an allocation of the cost, that was, j to treat the ramp as a bridge under the | Public Works Act, and, alternatively, to reimpose a special motorists' tax under the old Hutt Koad Act to bring in about £2000 per year; but that, too, would require legislative authority. NOT FOR MOTORISTS. Mr. E. Palliser: You should try toforget that. Motorists are saddled heavily enough with the petrol and other taxes; they don't want anything morn. . • Mr. Palliser said that the question of elimination of level crossings had been raised last evening in the House, and a proposal made by Mr. Ansell that the Highways Board, Railway Department, and Unemployment Board should get together to consider the problem had been well received by the Minister of Public Works. He (Mr. Palliser) did not agree, that the ramp would benefit only local motorists and other road users, for a roadway that was going to divert probably 80 per cent, of the traffic in and out of Wellington would carry much more than local traffic. The views expressed to Mr. Hislop and the Town Clerk, he considered, were .simply a repetition of what had been said previously and were sidestepping the question. Councillor P. M. Butler: It is absolutely unfair to put this burden on the local bodies, and the motorists cannot be asked to pay any more. If there is any more taxation a. lot of them will just have to pull their cars behind them on a bit of string—they won't bo able to pay for petrol to run them. Mr." Hislop: The Treasury was definitely against the proposal to ask the Main Highways Board to pay the capital charges. NOT SPENT ON ROADS. Mr. Palliser: If the whole of the money collected from motorists was expended for the purposes for which it is collected, there- would be no need to worry over this ramp, and there would bo any amount of money for the elimination of other level crossings. Mr. Palliser said that he thought the board should go to the Prime Minister again by deputation and the North Island Motor Union, as well as the local association, should be- represented. Motorists generally were very much concerned with .the %vay in which money had been taken from them for road purposes aud expended in other directions. Replying to Mr. D. R. Hoggard, Mr. Hislop said that a rough estimate hud placed the probable cost, of the ramp at £40,000 for a 24ft roadway. Mr. Pallisor: Why was the ramp dropped at all? It is quite clear that a ramp was considered necessary when the railway plans were being drawn up, and in the plan prepared by the Railway Department themselves, and later incorporated in the Minister's statement, a ramp was shown.' When we went to the Minister and referred to this plain provision on the plan no satisfactory explanation was given why the ramp was dropped. It seems to me that it is the influence of the Railways Board which is preventing the ramp from being included as part of the general scheme. Mr. Hislop: It seems that that-is so. Mr. Palliser: If a ramp had not been intended and shown in the original plans there is no doubt that the_ whole thing would then have come in for criticism. The board was unanimous that the Government should be approached again by a largo deputation representative of (he- local bodies, the Chamber of Commerce, the Automobile Association, and the North Island Motor Union, and such other organisations as may bo concerned.