HASTINGS TRAMWAY PROPOSALS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 37, 26 January 1911, Page 9

HASTINGS TRAMWAY PROPOSALS.

POLL OF RATEPAYERS TO EE I TAKEN. ! A public meeting was held in the Princess Theatre. Hastings, last •veiling, to consider the question >f a irannvay sei \ ice for the borough. About sixty ratepayers at'tnded. his Worship the Mayor Mr. J. A .Milter) presid*.!;-.-. r. . ( vV. Halt and J. Gar:, t Use .. ;ied seats on the platform. | IPs orship the Mayor read the | •uh.-ni .ement explaining the object of the meeting. He said that ome years ago it was suggested Juit the time had arrived for the! installation of a tramway .service! between Havelock and Hastings’ nd I- rimley. Later on a scheme I uad been placed before the Conn- I •il by Mr. Norman Heath, and the [ firm of Riley and Co. had also i placed before the Council a scheme! providing lor a light railway ser- ) 'ice. The matter had been hung' up owing to the Council being oe-i copied with the consideration of i the loan proposals for other pur-j poses. These were now well under | way. and it had been decided at ' the R.-t mo.-ting of the Council to; !!;,■ ra? p;,vc>s an opportunity 1 expressing ihmr opinion as to whether the considered the time v;ts oppoi t :t-,c tor the constrmt ion -f i, tramway service. and if so, >he woj-k should be carred o-.t 1,.y |j> ( , ( (>I . r } lC y ‘•■’■lid grant ro.-.i essioms to a syn.icatc :.r certain number of ■■ •ar-. His idea was to take a noli .1 :i.e ()f! same dav • - the n.JI for authority to horror, t7i?o;i for t be purpose of advancing .<> tafepavers to enable ’em to comn-et v.iih the sewerage -rheme. Mr. L. V\. I-Qwier saul that, to (est the feeling of those present. ie would ijmhc, -That, in the opinion of this meeting, the municipality should control any system of tramways which may in future be installed. Speaking to his motion, air. Fowler said it was absolutely non-committal as to what time a ram sei vice might be insralh-d. but il would stipulate that the scheme should be a municipal one. He was of opinion, and he thought that a goodmany ratepayers held the same view, that it would hi time to consider teams when the pt csent loan works were completed. Be did not believe in grant ing concessions to a syndicate, amt inI -.tamed the case of the Perth City | v mined. where the gas rights had I been handed over to a private | company for a periml of 15 years, the civic authorities to take over the business at the end o f th ai period without payment of any interest. and the question of lalua cion to be d< < ide<l h v arbitration. The fifteen years had expired sonm three years ago. and the Perth Citv Council was still in the Arbitration Court. because the syndicate would not consider any offer imide C the municipal authorities. FLconsidered that it would be far .nore satisfactory to defer the question <>f municipal trams for a period ot. say, four x ears, if the t ime

was not opport turn n.oxv. than i > hand over the t ights to a syndicate. Mr. E. Slexenson seconded the

resolutmn. ami tii doiu<r sb said he bt liexed that if trams wen- to be im-tailed th< \ should lie a munit ipal undertaking. The present time was iiuquiorl f. t ;ikitlg a poll ■ci the ques*. phi. bee.’.use the rale oavers were Lexvildt r< <1 with the

loan works m»w hi hand : and he considered it. would be premature to consider t •■.■■.mxvax s until these works were completi-d. He sup norted a mtmict ial scheme because he had lived in \\ e’litmton. Auckland. ami Sydmy. ami the former' had by far the best results, because die service xvas rout rolled by the I ity Council. He hoped they

v. otild not make' I be same mistake I as Auckland by gi vi• ig their right -; I to a syndicate. Mr. T. J. Thompson asked if anv i \vmlicat<- bad mide a definite offer jto inst;*! a I: r.i. vay service ia Tiastingty if a private company J'..as pre pared to i:s nmney out | by constructing !!:<• scriiee. and I was prepared to fraud the wm ks J over after a <’er>ni:i number of •years at a fair ’-ate <-f interest, he j thought it would be justifiable ro £.;■.<> Bern power 1.0 <><> so. ‘ The Mayor replied that the r;yoi pos.als p-;t tor'.vard by Mr. Normalj ileadi were those of a symlirai-• pho wished to !;;:■(■ the i’ighiS t<> j i-,r;y < n: the s heme themselves. I The >.. h< me proposed by Messrs. Riley and Co. was not an offer from a private company, nut a suggestion for a municipal service. Mr. j Heath's offer was as follows:— ’That lhe ('oiindl grant the concessions for the running of trains "<>m Havelo k to Hastings. Hast- < i >gs to Frimlev. with branches to j Cornwall Park. Racecourse, and ; Karamu road, the Council having ’ the right to take over same five | years after inauguration or any pcrio 1 of three years thereafter :

if the Council decide to take over ! .he system at the expiration of five ■ years, the company shall hand overall rolling stock, plant, etc., to the ■ Council at the cost price plus 16 per cent., without any goodwill, the ; Council paying the company 5 per cent, per annum for the five years < by way of interest, and the Com- i pany allowing 71. per cent, depreci-; ation off the net cost of the cars., ; and 1 per cent, depreciation oil i the net cost of the track. Any j ’liid or buildings belonging to the umpany to be taken over by the j borough at valuation. If the scheme ( was taken over at the expiration i of eight years, the terms should be i the same, with the exception that i the rate of interest should be 4 per j cent, per annum ; if after eleven | years, 3 per cent ; and at fourteen ! years or any period of three years ! thereafter, 2.\ per cent.” j The fares front Hastings to Frim- > ley should be 2d. and from Hastings i to Havelock Id, from Hastings to - Cornwall Park 2d, and to the race-, course on ordinary days Id; the' company to have the right to raise • the fares on holidays and special occasions. The estimated cost ! was as follows : —- ! (

The Council did not consider the t< rms reasonable, and consequently m> agreement had been arrived at. Sitice then he had heard that Mr. Heath’s firm had disposed of their business, and the offer had now fallen through.. Personally, he believed that a tram service would pay remarkably well between Havelock and Frirnlex if it provided fot the carriage of goods. Mr. Thompson said that as there was no definite offer before the meeting, it was useless to carry the resolution. If a syndicate came along with a reasonable offer, they should be given the right to .instal a scheme.

Mr. T. Clarkson also considered it would be useless to pass the resolution, and then ask ratepayers to consider ‘an offer front a private syndicate should one be received. Ht» favoured a municipal scheme, but an offer might be made by <• company just at a time when tb (.’ouneil would not be in a positio to raise the money for the purpose and the passing of the motion would, prevent any consideration of a pri- : vate offer, no matter how reasonable it might be. While a goc ! ! many prix ate schemes had been quoted as failures.' a good manx others had been successful, and he . cited the case of the Manawa! t ■ Railway Company, which had paid I handsomely. He considered the i question should be left entirely i open, and the only matter for th< I meeting to decide xvas whether th- ■ time was opportune for a tram service. Referring ; .o the carriage !of goods, he said, he had never i heard of such a proposal in co: 1 eection xvilh tramways.

, The Mayor replied that Mi I Black, the Napier tramways engin i < er. Mr. Heath, am! Riley and C’o. i had each piovidcd for the carriage .of goods in their respectiv-- : sc-hen.es.

j Mr. I-. Cassin moved as a; ; {•.mendmenr that, in the (‘pinion o jibe m< eting, the Council shouto submit to the ratepayers the following alternatives:—(l) That the Council undertake the installalio; of a tramway service ; (2) that the ! Counc’l grant concessions to a svn I - • i (o.cate to construct a tramway seri vice : ct) that the question be de ihrri’d.

j Mr. T. Styles seconded the !<■ mci'dment. lie was in favour ol | municipal tram-- if the time was op-

I post ..lie. but rather than retard the I progress of the town he would bf ! prepared to band oc er the powers i ;o private enterprise if the terms ' were satisfactory.

i Mr. Cassia's amendment war i lost.

Mr. Clarkson moved as a further amendment that, in the opinion o the meeting the time was oppo;tune for the Hastings Borougi Council to seriously consider th: question of a tramway' service fHastings, and that the Council b asked to go into the matter ar. prepare a scheme or schemes, to b submitted to the ratepayers.Seconded by Mr. J. Hirons. Air. Fowler withdrew his mot io in iavour of Mr. Clarkson’s a mem input, as his contention was that proposal for a municipal schem should be rejected before any pi vate offers were considered. Mr. Clarkson’s motion was the put and carried. The meeting closed with a vo< of thanks tn the chairman.

& s. d. | ■il miles track to Friinley and to Havelock, at £.3000 per mile ... 10,500 0 I mile side tracks to i Cornwall Park and Racecourse .... 3,000 0 0 3 .30-h.p. cars at £1200 3,600 0 0 • Carshed and land 750 0 0 ' Contingencies, 5 p.c... 892 10 0 Total £18,742 10 0