TRAMWAY EXTENSION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17289, 3 October 1916, Page 5

TRAMWAY EXTENSION.

SUGGESTED NEW ROUTE THROUGH SPREYDON. DEPUTATION TO BOARD. At the meeting of the Tramway Board yesterday a deputation from the Iprcydon Borough Council, headed by Vhe Mayor (Mr W. H. Winsor), waited the board aud asked that an exten>ion of the tramway service should be ffi&de in the borough. There were only ten chains of tramway line in the borough to-day, and since, that service was started the population of the borough had increased from 1400 to 6000. Many ratepayers had now to walk a mile before they got to the tram terminus. The suggested extension was along Coronatiou Street to Simeon Street, through Athelstone' Street to Barrington Street, and thence along Stourbridge Streot to Lyttelton. Street. ■An alternative was to run the line down Selwyn Street to Rosebery. Street, thence to Simeon Street and the other etreets mentioned, but that route would come very near the Colombo Street line at places. The distanco of the first route proposed would be'a mile and a quarter, and that of the second route about the same. The deputation were convinced that the extension would be a profitable investment for the board, as the district was a thriving and populous one. They had not counted the houses, that would be served. There were about 150 houses on the route itself. " There 'were 360 houses in the east ward and 380'houses in the west ward, and most of those were threequarters of a mile from the present Coronation Street terminus. The new line would not rob any other lino of traffic.

The chairman (Mr C. M. Gray) said the matter would be carefully considered by the "Works and Traffic Committee. The board had’already commenced to count tho houses in. districts where applications for extensions were made. At the same time be must remind tho deputation that Christchurch already had as much tramway mileage as Wellington, Dunedin and Auckland put together. It had a mile to every 1200 people, while the other ccntrts had a mile to 3000 or 4000 people. In Christchurch, also, the competition of bicycles and motor-cars was.fiercer than in any of the other centres mentioned. However, ho was not prejudging the application, and ho was pleased that the deputation bad not urged immediate construction, as it was a particularly bad time to buy rails and the' board had othor works to which it was committed, to construct before new exfennions could be authorised.

The deputation withdrew and tho matter was referred to the Works and Traffic Committee for consideration.