BROADWAY TRAM STOPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20538, 12 April 1930, Page 14

BROADWAY TRAM STOPS.

Sir, —A report has been published being criticism by the Mayor of Newmarket, Mr. S. Donaldson, of statements made by me to the Auckland Transport Board when presenting a petition asking for an additional stop for inward-bound tramcars in the centre of Broadway. The remarks are misleading, and call for & reply by me. I was approached by Newmarket business men asking me to give my support to an endeavour to correct a very serious mistake made by the Newmarket Borough Council, causing an acuta depression in business, and a very grave danger to the public. I refer to tho alteration to the tram stops. A meeting of business men appointed a committee, of which I was elected chairman, to preparo and get signed by business people a petition for presentation to the Auckland Transport Board. This we did, and, a(i a courtesy and to strengthen our case,, presented it to the Newmarket Borough Council seeking their co-operation in presenting it to the Transport Board, buti tho council decided to take no steps toward changing the stops and to inform tho deputation that it would be prepared to review the position at the end of next January. The Mayor is reported to havo said that it had been stated to the Transport Board that 150 shopkeepers in Newmarket had signed the petition. Many of these, he claimed, would not havo signed if they had known the true position. We asked the business people to sign a petition asking for an additional stop in the centre of Broadway. In tho majority of instances they said, " We will sign anything to improve shopping facilities in Newmarket; things could not bo worse, and the present stops are not suitable to business or the public." Ido not know what true position they havo been told since. I made the remark to both the council and the Transport Board that I understood tho business people of Newmarket paid 70 per cent, of tho rates collected in tho borough. The Mayor in Council asked mo where I got my information from, and I replied that it was an impression I had, and subject to correction. Ho nodded and made no further comment, therefore I concluded my estimate was correct. The Mayor also states that it had been pointed out to tho deputation that a number of those who had signed the petition were not in business in Broadway, and the fact had been pointed out to tho deputation, and even after its attention had been drawn to the error it still persisted in making a statement which was not correct. In presenting the petition to the Transport Board I was very particular to state that it represented 152 signatures of the business community of Newmarket, that tho Mayor had pointed out that three in Remuera Road and two elsewhere wero outside the borough limits, which fact was not known by us at tho time, but that it would not affect the weight of tho petition. Ido not think it fair for tho Mayor to narrow down my statement of tho business community of Newmarket to, (ho business .people of Broadway. Wo have been making an honest endeavour to improve trading conditions in Newmarket, and regret wo failed to impress tho Mayor with the necessity of our claim. G. G. Marriott.