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Evening Star, Issue 14966, 28 August 1912, Page 4

There promices to be considerable activity <m the part of both the Roslyn Rates supporters and opponents and Trams, of the Roslyn amalgamation proposal between now and September 11, which is fixed as the date for taking a poll on the question. Up to the present indications )>oint to tho separat ionif to being in a very heavy minority, but apparently they are not in the least dismayed. The Mayor of Roslyn, to whom has been left the weight of championing the cause from the public platform, has announced his intention of speaking in every available hall in the district, liesides canvassing the ratepayers personally, and ho declared last night that in his opinion it was not a very difficult matter “to knock down the stilts put “ forward by the supporters of a vital gam a“tion." No doubt if if is permissible to treat the oilier side's arguments in the wav Mr Menzif* last night dealt with one particular aspect. He said ; ‘‘The main “argument in favor of amalgamation “originally was that we would get con“fiderable advantage in the way of re“dnced rates and reduced valuations. “ That argument seems to liavc lieen wit-h- ---“ drawn now.” S<> far as we are aware that is totally incorrect. The question of rales, being the one most likely to appeal to ratepayers, was the one put forward i first and stressed most. The comparison between Roslyn and the City was so incontestably in favor of (lie latter, both as regards lighter rates and better services in return, that there was no need to labor the ]>oint further. But the figures .stand. An argument once established dors not lexeme invalid because another is brought up in support of it. A rate of 3s 10j,<l in the £1 does not Irecome greater than One of 4s Id in the £1 simply because it is subsequently pointed out. for instance, that City residents may obtain luvoks free from the public lending library while Roslyn residents may not get them at all. Evidently the cumulative force of argument has slightly disarranged the sepa.rationists' jtowers of logic. Evidently it has done more. It has 1-eel them to put forward incorrect premises. I It was stated at last night’s meeting — j and tho statement formed the basis of i subsequent discussion—that the concessions hv virtue of which the .Dunedin and Kaikorai Tram Company constructed their line and now operate it would expire “in a little over two years.’’ The suggestion was made tliat at the end of that time tire Roslyn Corporation should take over the service, run it at cheap fares (Id. where 3d is now charged), and thus use It as a j lever to compel the Roslyn Tram way Com- I panv. also to sell their lines, both cable and electric, to the Roslyn Corporation, so that in time the whole tram service to the borough would be municipalised. The Roslvn Council, it was stated, could easily float* a loan of £60,000 or £70.000 in j Dunedin for the first purchase. This was j on the authority of one high in local j financial circles. We have the opinion of, others iy equally high petitions—at least, we could find none higher-—that, the securing of the money locally would be no such easy matter, and that from the way money ie being “ mopped up” in New Zealand the l-oridon market would have to lx? approached ; in which ease Dunedin I City (wore amalgamation carried) would j lie able to eecuro a loan on much bettor I

terms than a small and unknown body like Roslyn. But, putting aside this aspect and the ethics of the treatment proposed to be meted out to the older tram company, we wish to point out this fact—viz., that nearly six years must elapse before the Dunedin and Kaikorai Tram Company’s concessions expire. The date of the deeds of delegation from the City Corporation and the Roslyn Corporation to the company is May 22, 1897, and the term is in each case 21 years from that date. Thus the company's rights extend to May 22, 1918. The company may. if they think fit. sell out to n. municipality before then, but on the, face of things it seems much more probable that, of the. two, they would greatly prefer to deal with the Dunedin Corporation. Altogether it cannot be said that last- night’s proceedings did much to assist the antiamalgamation cause, so far as municipal isation of the trams is concerned. That step is desirable if good and cheap transit is to be secured. But the question is whether Itcslyn. standing alone, is able to bring the project to a successful issue.