TRAMWAYS LOAN LOST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19718, 18 August 1927, Page 8

TRAMWAYS LOAN LOST.

LAEGE ADVERSE VOTE. HEAVY POLL RECORDED. DECISIVE IN THE CITY. SUBURBAN BOOTHS VARY. I'T. CHEVALIER MAJORITY. An adverse majority of 333 was recorded against the proposal of the Auckland City Council to borrow £500,000 for tramway and transport development when the issue was placed before ratepayers at a poll yesterday. The voting was as follows: For the proposal . . . . 3443 Against 42 ' 6 Adverse majority . • 833 . The interest displayed iri the proposal was indicated by the fact that 7784 votes, including informal ones, were recorded, this representing 34.8 per cent, of the ratepayers' roll of 22,363 names. This proportion is considerably higher than that at any recent loan poll. Only 3285 votes from a roll of 19,900 were recorded at the poll on the waterworks loan of £430,000 in April, 1926, while even greater apathy was shown at loan polls in 1524 and 1923, in which sums of £710,000 were in each case involved. Aggregate of City Votes. The city vote was decisively against yesterday's proposal, the three booths showing an aggregate of 1261 votes against and 843 for. Ratepayers at Ponsonby, Newton, Remuera, Epsom and Parnell were almost equally emphatic. At Point Chevalier the proposal received its onlv decisive endorsement, the voting being 342 for and 90 against. It was proposed in the loan schedule that £,92,050 should bo spent in extending the tramway system to that suburb, and the voting was evidently a reflection of the desire in that portion of the city to be served by trams in preference to the bus services now controlled by the City cil. At Grey Lynn the voting was almost equally divided, vfrith a small margin in favour of the loan. The booths closed at 7 o'clock and it was soon evident that the proposal was doomed. All the returns with the exception of two were in within three-quarters of an hour of the closing of the booths, and the final result was announced shortly after 8 o'clock. Details o! the Voting. Following are details of the voting:—

Ratepayers' Responsibility. "We have placed the matter fully before the ratepayers, who must accept the responsibility for any modifications in policy which may be rendered necessary bv their decision," said the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, in a statement oil behalf of the council. Neither the Mayor nor Mr. J. A. C. Allum, chairman of the Tramways Committee of the council, was prepared to' indicate whether a modified scheme for extending the tramways services and acquiring more rolling-stock would be, placed before the ratepayers in the near future. It will be recalled that Mr. Allum stated in the course of addresses given in explanation of the council's new policy that the undertaking to chargo tramWay fares on bus services operating over routes where it was proposed to extend the tramways could not be carried out if the loan was not carried.

For. Against Town Hall 379 au 2-20 63 270 437 473 351 46 358 »6 215 24 95 179 148 47 40 Chamber of Commerce Shortland Street •. • • Leys Institute Heme Bay Road • • •. 59 Church of Christ 140 Victoria Park .. •• •• 49 St. Columba, Gt. Nth. Rd. 136 157 144 Francis Street . • , • • St. Peter's, Archhill Garnet Road . . ■ • • • 53 St. Cuthbert's. Faulder Av. . 25 Point Chevalier Hall .« Armstrong's Hall . - • • 274 68 71 19 84 86 59 91 * SI St. James'. Wellington St. . . 10G St. Benedict's, East Street .. 62 St. Kevind Arcade 53 East Street Hall . 64 St. Sepulchre's, Khyber Pass 79 65, New North Road 67 167 293 144 71 166 St. Mark's. Renyjera 78 Remuera Library 127 Reniuera Terminus 159 * 37 Green Lane • • • • Epsom Library • • • St. Andrew's Road .. .. 70 28 51 as 147 91 Epsom Tram Depot .. Parnell Methodist Hall 105 St. Sfephen's 45 Total 3443 4276 Majority against proposal . 833 Go Informal votes