THE CITY TRAMWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 11695, 29 September 1902, Page 2

THE CITY TRAMWAYS.

TO THE EOiXOB. Sir.—The thanks of the ratepayers and the general public, of the City and subtitles are due to you for your well-timed but rather mild remarks in last night’s paper re the mismanagement of tramway business by the City Council. It is most astonishing bow long and how quietly the people have home with this state of muddle. Sir, to start with, they paid close on £50,000 for worn-out plant that will cost a few thousand pounds to take up, as every part of it has to be taken out of the way before we can use our new system. I know that the rails are so far gone on this £50,000 line that if new wheels are put on a cor they (the wheels) have to run on the flanges of the wheels, until these are worn down far enough for the •wheels proper to touch the rails. That was blunder No. 1. for which the whole Council then sitting should have been put in the harbor. Thou they start this precious Lee Stream waterpower. It was well known to thoughtful men at the time that they would muddle this also, and in the end would have to do as you hinted in your remarry last night—viz., fall back on a steam plant. Well, sir, they have, already spent nearly as much as would supply a steam/ plant that would serve Dunedin for the next fifty years; and where are they now? In A bigger muddle than ever. Why are we in this muddle? Simply because we have a lot of men on the City Council who are not practical men—at least, very few of them; and those who know least are the very ones that have most to say. Thev try to blame the city engineer for a great deal; but, sir, if I am not mistaken, this water scheme was one of the first things forced on this gentleman when he came to Dunedin. I am sure that if he had been given a free hand in this matter he would have said: Go on with steam for the present, and take time to think out the water schema." But no, sir; they must needs blunder along, and to hide themselves from blame they bring in. another engineer to try to belittle the city engineer's work. Could you, sir, picture anything more absurd than some of these councillors sitting round that table cross-questioning the two engineers? I ran very sorry that Mr Anderson has lent himself to these men

.; -, v-t' as lie has done, because, reading between the lines, the object of some of the Tramways Committee is not so -itinch to conserve the interests of the ratepayers as to damage the- reputation of the city euginetr. lam sure the citizens of i Dunedin vi ill not stand- any euch conduct as thev have shown, and will put in men who will at least look before they leap.—l r , . Practical. September 27.