TRAMWAYS EXTENSION

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4899, 19 June 1918, Page 5

TRAMWAYS EXTENSION

MR. W. D. LYSNAR’S OFFER. FURTHER DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL. SUGGESTION BY THE TREASURY At tlie Borough. Council meeting last evening a Tetter was received from tlie Treasury in reply to the Council’s letter requesting permission to expend the sum of £27,000 on the extension of tramways, and stating by direction of the Acting-. Minister for Finance that though this might appear a very desirable undertaking, the present was scarcely tlie time for commencing operations of this description. The Minister would like to know if the Council could' not see its way to postpone the work.

The Mayor moved that they write to the Minister for Finance, setting out fuller particulars. Cr. Oman favored holding" the mattea- over till they dealt with the tramway question. He moved this as an amendment.

The Mayor read the letter from the Town Clerk to which the Treasury had replied, and said he thought they might write again and give more information. They might state, for instance, that they had alroadjy ‘borrowed £30,000 since the war. The Mayor’s proposal was carried. Cr. Wauchop moved as a further amendment that they write to the Minister for Finance, assuring him that they agreed with his view. Cr. Tucker seconded.

Cr. Munns: The Where is the third? kill the tramways. Cr. Wauchop said a committee had been trying to arrive at an •agreement with Mr. Lysnar for a fortnight, and no agreement lia<l been signed yet. If they had had so much trouble up to the present, how much litigation would they "have during the three years Mr. Lysnar was constructing the tramways ? The amendment was lost.

same old two. Anything to

At a later stage in the meeting a long letter from the Borough Solicitor dealing with the proposed agreement with Mr. W. D. Lysnar was read, and in the light of this letter the Council again discussed Mr. Lysnar’s offer as amended since the last meeting.

The Mayor said that Mr. Lysnar had prepared some kind of plans and specifications, and he was going to propose that they be handed over to Mr. Armstrong, the District Engineer. hot it .had been found that no quantities had been stated. He would suggest that Mr. Lysnar and* the Borough Engineer see Mr. Holmes, who could instruct Mr. Armstrong to prepare plans and specifications according to his requirements. The Mayor further stated that Mr Lysnar had agreed to the Conned retaining 25 per cent, of the money till the work had been completed. Cr. Wauchop asked if it would not be better to first obtain the consent of the Minister for Finance. Meanwhile they could drop al] negotiations with Mr. Lysnar. .They were heaping np a bill of expenses which should go against the loan, and 1 could not be chargeable to the loan if the-negotiations fell through. They might not be able to get Mr. Lysnar to sign. They had failed to do so during the past fortnight. Cr. Munns said, that in the meeting they had had with Mr. Lysnar they had cleared a lot of ground. For one thing, Mr. Lysnar had agreed to the retention by the Council of the 25 per cent. They had almost got him to signing point. Tile Mayor explained* that Mr. Lysnar had contended that Grey Street was not included on the voting paper,_ while Wainui was. He had examined Mr. He'ath’is report, which only provided for four mi'es, so that Wainui could not have been included.

Or. Munns. suggested that they endeavor to bring about a satisfactory arrangement. They could drop the Park line and get Mr. Lysnar to . include Grey Street. ■ Mr. Lysnar ( had so far met them veil, and appeared to be anxious to get on with the work. .. Cr. Wildish agreed with Cr Manns. Mr. Lysnar had outlined what he believed to he a. payable proposition, and in respect to Wainui he (Cr. Wildish) believed it constructed under similar conditions Lvsnar’s proposal was accepted the Wainui line would pay. just as lines constreeted under similar conditions m Wanganui had. Mr Lysnar was quite willing to-lav down Grey'Street if the money available was adequate. He fell in with the Mayor’s suggestion that Mr. Holmes should dictate the specifications and that they should! have the approval of the j Borough Engineer. He was satis- j fied that if they could get the line j extended for £27,000 it would be the best day’s work they had ever done. He urged the Council to persevere with the negotiations. - It they did he was sure that a satisrac"tory agreement could be arrived! at. Mr'” Lysnar was prepared to attend j the meeting if the Council desired it. Cr. Miller said they had gone far j enough with solicitors’ opinions, and , all they had to do, now was to act j upon the legal advice. j The Mayor said he would strenu- : ouslv oppose the trams going o Wainui before going along Grft j Street. It would! be most unfair to , the Victoria Township people to cut j out Grey Street. , . | Cr. Mouat said it seemed to him , that the Council would yet have do the work themselves. He had. given muidh; consideration o i tramway question. He had favored I Whataupoko, and then Grey Street and Kaiti. Mr. Lysnar proposed to, go to Bell’s store. There was tremendous amount of- _work to done by the Council .before they g t. cl'mvn to anything with Mr. lysnar. There would be bridges to stieng i then, and! Otders-Vn-Counml. would . have to he made. Another . for one would strongly oppose aiiy , one drawing up plans and speMjca j tions but their own engineer, then, they were establishing a new pre . cedent in asking a contvgctoi to. draw up his own specifications. , The Mayor: We are not t , Cr moved , thev write to tte Mtarter Jot Pm-; auce tor his .consent before «o£g any further with Mr. Lysnai.. tnis would give them an acquainting themselves the! contract to ho fW 000. Mr. Lysnar had the he could not sublet the conw ■ within three months for the to C? a, »nSS SS-lnnsc has teen secondW the motion, and said'ho tbonght thg we^as T. considered that ttesg!; fications shohld own engineer. ±ne agr ylr. mitted to the Conned gave W Lysnar the_ P°f e^i three months let the contract withinler-in-Counoil, after they got an 9+ He favored to cancel the contract. r tho Council doing tho work them asked svhy, nar could do the work, the Council

oouldl_. not also - do’ it. They were unanimous about the extension, and surely if Mr. Lysnar was so much in earnest he would give them the benefit of any special knowledge he possessed.

Cr. Munns complained that certain members .were trying to break off negotiations. He was su!r© the Council could not lay al] the rails in the yards for £27,000, and if Mr. ■Lysnar was prepared to do it and indemnify the Council against loss tor three years, they should jump at his offer. If the motion was carried they would cause a break in the negotiations, and perhaps bring about their complete failure. Tile Mayor considered that before going any further they should get their own engineer and Mr. Lysnar to go' to Wellington and see Mr. Holmes, who could give a rough draft of the specifications, which could. be put into form by their own engineer, who could submit them to Mr. Armstrong for his approval. Cr. Mouat said Mr. Holmes would only give certain information. He would not diraw up specifications. The Engineer, on being invited to speak, said 1 thq Council was going the wrong way first. In works of this description the .engineer would interview the P.W. Engineer, who would give a rough draft of the specifications. These would then, be drawn up by the Borough Engineer; The P.W. Engineer would perhaps insist on certain requirements, and after the plans and specifications had been completed* to his satisfaction: he would approve them. He would not work with a non-professional engineer, and would refuse to accompany Mr. Lysnar to see Mr. Holmes. Or. Wildish proposed as an amendment that the committee keep in touch with Mr. Lysnar and see if they could not come to finality. Mr Lysnar did not disagree with the Engineer on any essential point, and lie thought that notwithstanding what tha Engineer had said, he would be able to see his way to l go to Wellington with Mr. Lysnar. It was estimated by Mr. Lysnar that he could complete the contract for £27,000.

Or. Mouat: The Engineer said that £IO,OOO would have to be spent on the 'road through Whataupoko before the tram, line could he started. - Cr. . Wauchop read the minute authorising the committee appointed to meet Mr. Lysnar to act to show that- the committee had* gone beyond its limits. They were to meet the solicitors at 2 p.m. the following day. One day only was contemplated, and they had gone on for a whole fortnight building up solicitors’ expenses.

Mr. Wauchop’s motion was carried by 5 to 4. Cr. Mouat moved that the Borough Engineer proceed to Wellington and see Mr. Holmes with a view to having the plans and specifications drawn up. Or. Wildish seconded pro forma, hut suggested Mr. Lysnar also go to Wellington. Ciy Mouat refused to amend his motion, and said that whichever way things went—whether the Council did the work or Mr. Lysnar—they would - he making a step forward. Cr. Munns criticised the proposal as useless expenditure. Cr. Wildish condemned the attitude of Cr. Wauchop, who he said wanted to kill the tramway extension.

The Mayor suggested that they write to Mr. Holmes and ask him if he would allow Mr. Armstrong to act for the Department here in connection with the tramway question.

Cr. Mouat amended his motion in that direction, and on being put to the meeting it was carried. Cr. Tucker spoke favorably of the work done bv the committee up to the present stage. Cr. Munns saidi he intended to withdraw from the committee. He had been neglecting his own business for the work, of the committee, and it was very discouraging to find the whole, of the work nullified by the stand taken by some councillors. Or. Wildish spoke in a similar strain, ar.d said he would like to see Crs. Wauchop and Mouat appointed l in rdace of himself and Cr. Munns. The Mayor said he would continue the negotiations alone, but would promise not to commit the Council.