CITY AND KARORI

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 16

CITY AND KARORI

1 (To the Editor.)

Sir,—l quite agree with Mr. Dyett that it "would appear that the main essentials are completely forgotten by the few consistent correspondents who write so frequently upon the above subject." -Mr. Dyett. as president o* the Karori Progressive Association, is one of these few persistent correspondents who has lost sight of the main issue and is doing his best to induce your readers to forget them also. What are these main essentials?* Karori has'.ai ready three different <ranspcrt services. Some; few Karori residents want- 3 fourth,' which will cast further burdens upon the ratepayers of the City of Wellington generally. They have the tramway route from the loot ol the Makara ,Hill to Courtenay Place for threepence halfpenny a ride They have the Kelburn tramway from Lambton Quay, and buses running every twelve minutes from the head >f that tramway. And they have a corporation bus service running from Te Aro Posi Office to the old council chambers every half-hour: The Karori people say this in effect: We don't care whether Melrose or Morningion or Brooklyn or Western Kelburn residents may suffer through lack of adequate transport; we know what we want and we're going to have it. even at their expense. The next essential that Mr. Dyett has forgotten is that this expensive, unnecessary, and extravagant fourth route of transport was submitted to a vote of the general ratepayers of the city and it was turned down as utterly unworthy of their support. Yet the council was induced to spend £70,000 without the sanction of the ratepayers in preparing the roadway for tram tracks against the judgment of ratepayers declared at the poll. According to the Mayor it will cost another £27,00 C. making a total of £97,000 for a bit of a tramway to save the Karori people a penny half.penny per day. Would any ordinary business man in this city proceed to] spend £97,000 costing approximately! £5 a year to save £2000? The ratepayers throughout the City of Wellington; and suburbs1 have now wakened. They are determined that this project-should not be pushed any further and become an eternal burden upon them, unless at another poll they should be foolish enough to sanction it.—l am, etc., for the petitioners,