ROUGH TRAM TRACKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20779, 23 January 1931, Page 12

ROUGH TRAM TRACKS.

REPAIRS URGENTLY NEEDED.

STATE OF KARANGAHAPE ROAD.

TRANSPORT BOARD'S ATTITUDE

Tho rough and broken natur.e of that portion of Karangahape Road along which the tram tracks run has provoked strong comment from the numerous people who do business in that thoroughfare. The middle of the roadway, over its entire length from Grafton Bridge to the Ponsonby Road intersection, is corrugated and buckled. Half the outward-bound tram traffic from the city traverses some portion of Karangahape lload, and tho thoroughfare also carries heavy motor traffic, for tho street is entirely a business one. Nowhere elso has tho central road surface fallen into quite such a disgraceful condition. The obligation is on tho Auckland Transport Board to maintain onethird of tho roadway, and a statement was invited yesterday from Mr. J. A. C. Allum, chairman of the board, as to when it was proposed to restore the road surface in Karangahape Road.

" I will admit that Karangahape Road does not look mco in its present condition," said Mr. Allum. However, thero is no question of the tracks being unsafe. Wo would like to do tho work now, 'and wo have made the suggestion to tho Unemployment Board that, if it will make a substantial contribution to the wages, involved—about £6o,ooo—in completing tho relaying and repairs of tracks' in the city, we will put the work in hand at once.

" Otherwise," said Mr. Allum, " I cannot see a prospect of the work in Karangahapo Road being done before another year at the earliest. We are going through a period of difficulties, and we are not going to be tempted into carrying out work when wo cannot afford it. In 1926, when the tramways undertaking was under its control, the City Council raised a loan of £IOO,OOO for track improvements. The council was led into doing that in an impulse of generosity to help relieve unemployment. Seeing that the Unemployment Board will be collecting about £60,000 in levies from Auckland, I contend that it is only fair that some of that money should be spent* here; whether the spending is done by the City Council, the Power Board or the Transport t Board does not much matter." '

Asked why his board had not considered raising a loan to improve existing tracks before undertaking expenditure' in the extension of the system, Mr. Allum said:' "The loan for the extensions was sanctioned two and a-half years ago. It was part of the board's policy, and it was never suggested at that time that we should first complete the improvement of existing tracks. And, of course, it is not possible for us to divert the monies raised for track extensions. We cannot consider raising further loans just now."'

It was -estimated by Mj;. Allum that, of the £90,000 required to complete track improvements, about 40 per cent, could be charged to capital account, as in many cases the tracks would have to be entirely relayed, and the standard of the tracks would be increased by about that percentage. The remaining 60 per cent, would have to bo a charge on revenue. He did not think it would bo necessary to raise a loan for the 40 per cent., as the board could probably arrange to find the money from some other account. However, he was against the practice of raising a loan in anticipation of revenue so that the work might be carried out immediately.