TRAMWAY TRACKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 10

TRAMWAY TRACKS.

The City Council is fully justified in adopting a firm attitude toward the Transport Board concerning the very unsatisfactory state of the tram tracks in certain parts of the city. There is much cause for complaint. It is not as if the trouble were one of recent arising. As a matter of fact, it dates from a time long before the negotiations since May between the city engineer and the general manager of the board. There arc spots that have been for years notoriously in need of more attention than they have been given. One of these, at the intersection of Kara ngahape Road and Symonds Street, has no sooner been patched to remove its vexatious unevenncss than the repairing process has had to be repeated. But for the train tracks, little difficulty would be met in keeping at such places a reasonably good surface, and the Transport Board must accept responsibility for their bad condition. In the particular regions named by the city engineer the need of closer attention has become a subject of common comment. The board, through its general manager, has admitted its responsibility and expressed regret at delay in replying to the council's complaint, but apparently is not prepared to get on with the work. Its excuse is the considerable cost, entailed, and on this it bases its presumption of inability to do anything within the present financial year. The utmost limit of its promise of amendment, is that "a start will be made with some of the works as soon as possible." This easy-going treatment of an urgent necessity, coupled with the delay in replying to a reasonable complaint, cannot be viewed lightly. It is not explained away by the board's failure, within recent weeks, to persuade the Prime Minister to grant a subsidy to this work as one to reduce unemployment. That aspect is somewhat irrelevant. The board, beside its duty of extending transport service in keeping with the needs of its whole area, has a continuous responsibility to maintain existing facilities in good condition, and this involves such care of the tram tracks as will prevent their being a cause of discomfort and danger to other traffic. On the hoard lies the onus of seeing to this, and it should discharge its duty with urgency.