New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY, 1, 1876.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 241, 1 July 1876, Page 12

New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY, 1, 1876.

The Wellington street tramways are at last in a fair way of being a fait accompli , on Thursday the Hon. William Fitziierbert, C.M.G., Superintendent of the province of Wellington, signed all the necessary documents known in the Tramways Act, 1872, as the “ order, ” authorising the promoters, Messrs. J ohn Henderson, C.E., Charles O’Neil, C.E., and Thomas Kennedy Macdonald, accountant, to lay down street tramways within the city of Wellington; and it is pleasing to know that this, one of the last acts of the Superintendent, is surrounded with the prospect of large benefits to the citizens generally, for a comfortable drive of three miles for threeXience will prove a true boon to the people. When street tramways were first opened in Dublin, a few years ago, the Lord Lieutenant, Earl Spencer, in a speech at the Mansion House, ably expressed his opinion of their utility. 44 I can find,” said his Excellency, “from substantial proofs that this year has been one which will be considered a prosperous one for the citizens of Dublin. There has been increased activity of your citizens as regards increased power of locomotion within your city, and within the last year we have seen the greatest improvement in modern times introduced into Dublin the tramways. (Applause). Now, while their iron way is extended to almost every street in the city—if not altogether to the satisfaction or pleasure of those who drive about the streets in private vehicles, yet I am quite certain these carriages are very much to the advantage of a large portion of the public of this city. (Hear, hear.) Many of the people of Dublin who hitherto have been unable to leave their alleys, their lanes, and their dark corners, will now be able to move by these new conveyances further from the city, and benefit by the wide green swards and lovely scenes of a park which is unrivalled almost in any capital in the world. (Applause.)” The Superintendent and Mr. Bunny, Provincial Secretary, and the Mayor and City Council have all along shown their desire to further so excellent and useful a work as street tramways in Wellington. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works considered it his duty to cause amendments and additions to the draft order, which, although entailing considerable delay in the progress of the scheme, may ultimately tend to be in every way advantageous to the undertaking. We are indeed glad now that the “order” has been completed. The promoters have labored long and anxiously in their endeavors to advance the scheme, which we feel satisfied will be advantageous to all parties concerned. Mr. Charles O’Neill, late M.H.R. for the Thames, the originator of the scheme, has worked zealously in its promotion since early in September of last year, having previously moved in the matter of tramways in all the chief towns of the colony early in 1873. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G-., the present Premier, when introducing the Tramways Act, said, in reference to Mr. O’Neill: “The hon. member for the Thames, he might almost say, was the father of tramways in this country, or at any rate at the Thames. The Thames goldfield owed much of its success to the system of tramways which had been adopted there. The success of these tramways was, he thought, largely due to the ability and ingenuity of the hon. member, especially in his application of the system of wire tramways to the ordinary tramways.” We understand the promoters are making arrangements, that no time may be lost in’ ordering the plant, &c., as they are bound under heavy penalties to have the whole work completed for traffic within eighteen months. We heartily wish them every success.