HUTT AND PETONE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6745, 17 February 1909, Page 6

HUTT AND PETONE

MEETING OF TRAMWAYS BOARD. PEOM OTJE BESIDES! BEPOKTER. The inaugural meeting of the newlyelected' Hutt Valley Tramways Board was held at the municipal buildings, Petone, last evening. There was a full attendance of members, viz., Messrs Austin, Baldwin, Findlay, Hawthorn, Southgate, R. Stevens, and J. W. McEwan. Mr Percy R. Purser, who had acted as clerk for the defunct Tran> way Committee and as returning officer in connection with the election of a board, was also in attendance. Mr Purser took tho chair, formally reported tho election of a board, and invited nominations for the position of chairman. Mr J. W. McEwan, Mayor of Petone, was unanimously elected to the office. In proposing him for the position, Mr Baldwin saia that he was confident they oould rely on Mr McEwan to conserve the interests not of Petone alone but of the whole Hutt Valley. As Mayor it was only right and proper that he should hold the position. Mr McE-wan's nomination was seconded by Mr H. Findlay. Mr McEwan returned thanks for his election, and invited nominations for the position of deputy-chairman as provided by the Act. Mr J. T. Hawthorn was unanimously elected. It was decided to hold the board meetings alternately at Lower Hutt and Petone;' to ask permission of tho Borough Council to use the Mayor's room in the respective municipal buildings; to offer Mr D. Jones, of the Petone Town Clerk's staff, the position of clerk at a remuneration of £SO per annum; to hold the meetings of the board every Friday at 8 p.m.; that Air Purser be voted ten guineas and Mr A. Webster two guineas in consideration of their services as returning officers; that the chairman and deputy-chairman arrange with tho agent of the Bank of New Zealand for an overdraft up to £2OO, each member agreeing to sign a joint and several guarantee to the bank. A lengthy discussion took place regarding alternate means of traction. Mossvs Stevens, Findlay and other members were of opinion that the over-head trolley system as,embodied in the borough engineer's report was tho best for the board's requirements, while Mr Austin t-hcught that_ a scheme' which -vculd dispense with overhead wires and cause a minimum of noise should "Be adopted :_ All agreed that exhaustive inquiry should precede any step in the direction of submitting a proposal ■ to the payers. The chairman, discussing the question of finance, said he understood an English institutitn was prepared to advance money at less than 5 per cent. Mr Hawthorn said that it would bo useless approaching the ratepayers until cheap' money was available. _ It would be better to delay the project than to invito its condemnation by putting it forward before tho state of tho money market was more reassuring. It, was decided to write to Mr T. A. Edison asking his advice on the subject of electric traction.

Tho Hutt Valley Tramways Board cost tlie ratepayers £96 to get ■ itself elected. Not a fourth of the voters went to the poll, though the printing of the roll alone cost £53 Bs. This roll will be useless for tho purposes of a poll on a loan proposal, the franchise being varied.