KILBIRNIE TUNNEL DUPLICATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7225, 6 September 1910, Page 1

KILBIRNIE TUNNEL DUPLICATION

BETTER ACCESS WANTED MEETING OF SUBURBAN RESIDENTS. Residents of Hataitai, Kilbirnio. nnd Rosencnth were asked to assemble at the Kilbirnio schoolroom last evening to consider matters relating to the proposed traffic tunnel between the city and suburbs interested and tramway questions generally. The invitation wasresponded to by about fifty persons. Air Leigh Hunt, who presided, said the meeting had. been called as nu experiment, being the first which members of the three Ratepayers' Association* had been asked to attend. Improvementwas needed in the matter ot access, the present tunnel not being sufficient to meet the requirements. Then there was the question of recreation grounds, and also the conservation, of a portion of theforeshore for the uso ot the children for all time. Better access was what they were principally interested in, »iul •the question would bo pressed homo, even if it took many years to do so. iim residents had been induced to support a proposal for a.tunnel through Mount -Victoria on the clear assumption that it would serve not only tram but vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Hatmtaj Land Company had. contributed a. largo amount 1 , to the construction of the iunr nol. There was a, feeling that the uisj tried: had not been properly treated, and in view of whut had transpired special consideration should bo given in furnishing the district with improved means of access. A request had .been made to the City Council for a,, report 'from its engineer as to the best mean? of getting bettor access, and the report he understood, would bo presented shortly. Ho referred to Councillor .L R. Lake’s scheme of a tunnel starting near the Government House’-and emerging near the Chinaman's gardens, .but said It would not provide tho shortest route. Tlio shortest and best route should be tho main consideration. Moreover, thi? rout© would not relieve the situation so far as'. Hataitai .was concerned. Ho enumerated other objections to Councillor Luke's proposal, and said that the development which was going on in tho suburbs would render it-necessary to do something in the near future to relieve tho congestion. If a brunch tramway were constructed to Roscneath something would have to be done to the* tunnel for the purposes'of tram traffic, apart from anything else. They felt that they 'had a right to good access, and were going to demand it. He advocated the taking of steps to have a park formed on the town belt, to be planted entirely with native flora. Mr S. J'. Moran, a candidate for eleclion to the City Council, advocated the duplication of the present tunnel. He said ho spoke as a suburbanite f.nd also in the interests of the city as a whole. It could not be denied that, a serious blunder had been committed iii tho first place, and that Hataitai residents had not been treated fairly. It was an injustice that tho City v-ouucil would not listen lo a reasonable request for the duplication of tho tunnel. Eleven replies were received from candidates for election lo tho two vacancies on the City Council in response to a communication sent to them asking their opinion on the question of tho duplication of the tunnel. Most of thv replies were sympathetic. The meeting decided to hold a ballot to select the two candidates which it should support. This proposal, however, was subsequently rescinded. After discussion as to what procedure should be adopted it was decided by a large majority lo support at (he ballot onlv those candidates who are in favour of tho tunnel duplication scheme.