BURKES AND ST LEONARDS.

Evening Star, Issue 14635, 3 August 1911, Page 4

BURKES AND ST LEONARDS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir.—My atteniion baa b«l) drawn to a paragraph in your issue of .Inly 31. ih.u. "a movement i- on fool, in AVesl. Harbor to indict- iho ilr.ormiipii! to coiit-iruel iI to jougpmpeyre! railway station between Burke;, ami Si. Leonards.” I am one of tho councillors for SI. Leonards Ward, and a ratlin- Uus-y member of IJto *• progressive ” party in that, ward, and as neither £ nor my colleague in i lio eouneil hav.i heard anythin? of any such " movement ’’ wc would like to know who !he people mar lie who are concerned in it. Several years ago such a movement was the subject of much agitation, and it, resulted in a rather heated controversy, ending in no improvement whatever to the waid and 3 good deal of hostile feeling among neighbors. To revive the question now can do no possible good, and may have the effect of diverting Ibo ratepayers’ attention ftoin a scheme of improving the ward which is at pros; in under consideration. I have no doubt that when the Railway Department finds that a. change of stations is necessary in (ho interests of the line itself, it will make the change, whether urged to do so by (ho inhabitants or nor, and without regard to Hie La i ngs or prejudices nf either majority or minority. Duringr ;lm past winter the condition of the Main road from Burkes to St. Leonards has been nothing short of a disgrace to the community. There are no footpaths, so that pedestrians aro forced to walk in the roadway. which has born a river of mud, kerning the stationary members of the population too much within doors, and being a continual cause of damp shoes and muddy skirts ((caring profanity our of the question) to those whose duties t tkc iltcni to and from one or oilier of Ihe stations fvory day. The ‘'progressive" parly in St. Leonards have in band a scdieme for improving the roads. We are asking the ratepayers to consent to a loan of £I,OOO for the following works:—A) To construct’ a footpath, to cost £450, beginning at Burkes station, and following the ilnin road to a point as far beyond St. Leonards station as the funds will allow; (2) to improve the present deplorable condition of the r ide streets, at a cost of £500: (3) we propose to expand the balance, of the loan on the projected “ Coronation ’’ '.Hall at. St. Leonards. Bor this work £230 has been subscribed locally, and a. second £250 has been promised by the Treasury. Bin. as £SOO will not. provide much more than the shell of the building we require, we propose to add a third £250 (out of the ’loan), and wo earned for £750 to construct a solid, comfortable hall, lighted with acetylene gas, wliich shall bo a credit to our community. Tho immediate attention of the St. Leonards “progressives” is devoted to this scheme.. with speculative glances in the direction of reconstructing the local water supply on a profitable basis. With regard to the railway stations, ] hope we, are having the good sense to profit, by past experiences, and leave tbo matter alone, as any agitation for an inmieeliate change would probably end either (as it did before) in a futile demand for unanimity. or merely in another repetition of tho fashionable Ministerial formula that “ nothing can be done until tho railways,;have begun to pay.”-I any etc.. W. H, Tfimele. St. Leonards, August- 2.