CITY IMPROVEMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4314, 25 March 1901, Page 4

CITY IMPROVEMENTS

There before ■the, citizens; of -Wellington - just now, in 1 connection w’ith ‘the 1 ' schemes , of municipal ..imprOYeijtent^j^th^t,hare ,been ' , ¥6jmiirAted,. '.!snd! ~ y .tliatar* about 'toh.esubmitted', .to the -.-people

in public.-meeting; assembled; rAf. the outset;' 'there ,w;hd ? object tbatjthe number of,questions-going: before' the - electees ■irf tfio ' pppbrtunity.r,.jlbo ; objectionapparently -/reasonable,-f inasmuch as' it '■points '-but 1 that; .the), proposition's, concerning the^T6‘)yniH i o(l,.,thp street paving' and' therunaways,are, not Very intimately. connected one wlth-tKa - ether. ’On 1 , examination ,spme force of lliia/ohjEotion disappears; - because; there is -really'/a-close-connection between- live triimwayij and 1 tbo. :oa which they;are tp.stjia,- will net,- ill any. case; He-of 'jtfiS'Qli.- importance if the .crucial meeting is well-conducted and-is presided oveivby s: man who can explain matters; practically ; aud' briefly; who understands, thd,,three subjects; and can impart’ his knowledge with the tact which, keeps smooth) the, - ways of. discussion. , . i ,t i:-;

: There is much in the situation), ihore- , over, ’ which)'lends; strength, tbSthe; comi blnation cf the three subjects, without being too much indebted to the - argument that .speed, is the,, element ;in ; great -.enterprise*!.) --To;.:begin with', tlio. main : questions’ about," the ■Tmv.n,Ha]bara)settledl. ''..Th®,citizens are unanimous that :there: must ha ai-Town Hall - ,) because thel city authorities-must have 'decent /conveniences, for their business, and proper accommodation for - the entertainment of their friends as wjell as- - for i the comfort of public meeting, which is the governing power of the city.’ It is- also “generally’accepted that thb site on the reclaimed ground at the end of Jervois quay and the- foot of Cuba streetm the best and most convenient obtainable; and, moreover, our-own. - The question of street .paving is not on. so smooth.a,footing,-because the pub- ■ lie mind is .divided between, the ’wood paving of the old world and the asphalting of the new. - But this, is an ordinary difference, of:.opinion, presenting no insuperable difficulties.. ?Whichever side! wins, there can bd no friction to prevent-

a useful general conclusion on the three') points. Asphalt bears the highest re- j commendation from experience, which has found that this is a cheap and durable method cf paving, easily kept in repair, presenting no difficulty of cleaning, and less dusty than any other kind of pavement in the world. , These are considerations. which v must greatly simplify the aspect of the pavement problem.

of the tram system is not ■mucli more’difficult: There is no ques•ticikof the motive poweir to perplex, 'for all are.agreed that .the overhead trolley is. the, system. that has most to reconw mend it,.the, simple reason being that such ;is .the. experience ■of ' the world. Other points .of agreement are that | tho tramline must bo doubled, and that it must bd extended; on the lines of. the ! maximum, of- speed to the outlying’ districts, of heaviest population, and of ■greatest development to : the growing suburbs which have the best future, before them. Such is the general base of agreement; which is as unassailable as an: axiom .of Euclid. Here are ihn’O things that--must be done, if the tramways are .to be a benefit to the city, not a ’ drag; Now, a moment’s reflection should-bo sufficient to convince people of - ordinary powers of mind that if the line! were doubled along tho -whole of the pro-1 sent route the indispensable combination of results would bo impossible. On parts of the route the doubling is quite feasible viz., those between. tlie.Tliomdon i»nd and; Grey street, and between the Newtown oiid and tho Basin Reserve, But if the line Were doubled along the . third, or njiddle, section, between those two, then , the speed essential to the convenience ■ of tho populous southern districts- would bo unattainable, and no help whatever .could be extended to the fast .-growing, districts: : Bast of the city. ■ The speed required for :thc former would '.be;•'impossible bjt of the roundabout .course and'the many, stoppages. A‘ double tram. lino, in Cuba and . Manners n 'streets> would; so monopolize ’ the space- that much 'of tho ordinary street .traffic,' jyluch is profitable to -the business, people in ' that ■ section, .would ,bo driven away. A double lino in the middle section would, therefore, be not only unserviceable to the southern population; but, positively disastrous to tho business people of the section.. To double the line there -would 1 bo worse than a waste of. money. . Give that section an overhead system, with tho posts in the lino of the kerbing, and you secure the advantages of increased speed, ;witix a more ■ frequent service, i without any hindrance whatever to the increased ■traffic. , .

Now, .having tho, line, on tho two end sections, what would bo the effect of a loop, lino starting out from some'point on Lambton. quay, and. running along Jervois .quay to the foot of Cuba street? The first result would bo to shorten the distance tor the Newtown traffic, to increase its speed, and to bring it right up to the • railway and the wharves. Another result, would be to .bring: the advantages of'■ the tram service nearer the eastern districts. The service would thus not only help the existing population, but bo in the beat position for -throwing out branches, I to assist its development. ' One towards Oriental Bay and Boscnoath would pay now. fho .third; element; is the necessity of securing ■,a-second line throughout;.' without' injuring aiiy'interest in the, middle section; rM ',' :^o 7 ..already' shown,'how impossible .a., second line, .■would,'bo ■ ini the middle, section• itsddf. -Wo- have indicated hpw disastrous "it ■ .tvould.beto the pebplo of that section, .and we liavo proved that electricity ap-. plied cto their-single'lino 1 would be the 'best -tiling r fo.r. them. ” The suggestedlpop r ,liiio from the foot, of Cuba, street, along,-Jervois: quay .to • Lambton : quay could land passengers at no great distance from any part of Manners and Willis streets. It follows'that, the loop service would ho substantially useful to .the' middle section—very much more,so. than a double line in their; 'Overcrowded streets',; which would ;drive away the • business traffic. Thus, the construction of a loop lino’; by 'Jerybis; quay would se- , cure- the three . indispensable conditions of tramway extension. Simplified, in this way,. and --rightly handled . before the meeting, the subject should so present itself'to the. citizens' that the greatest opportunity the city' has ever had can ho unanimously, embraced.