SUBURBAN NEEDS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10521, 24 February 1920, Page 3

SUBURBAN NEEDS

TRAMWAY IMPROVEMENTS DEPUTATION 10..-MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY. Headed by representatives of the Te Aro Advancement Association, a. deputation, consisting of residents of Melrose, Lyall Bay, Vogclto-.vn, liiooklyn, and Island Bay waited upon tho finance and .tramways committee of Die City Council yesterday afternoon in order to urge their views in connection with certain proposed municipal woiks utid to make suggestions in rogard to tho Mayor's schemo t'o»" tJie development of tho city IMPROVED TRAMWAY SERVICES WANT'SD. Mr T. P. Halpin, president of tlie association, said that' m reference to tho tramways, the. deputation considered that tno service, to tho To Aro disti-ict was inadequate, and could c!o vvitli much improvement. A conference of Melrose, Lyall Pay, v'ogeltown, Brooklyn and Island Bay residents that morning .had agreed with tho views he. was expressing. ~ Mr.,Halpir. referred to the necessity for rue duplication of the Vivian street trftinvay 'track with a view to fecunng an alternate service by thafc route to f.yull Bay and Island' Bay. iliey asked that tho Constable street cars should also run by way of Cuba street. Another matter they wished to urge upon the committee was the extension of tho Wallace street line to John street.; tlbo that the trams on this run should travel right past the post office to the railway stations. 'They were not ;u accord 'with Mr Luke in regard to the widening of Tory street; they failed to see the necessity for sueh a contract, or what immediate good it would result in as far as relieving traffic, mind the Basin Reserve was ecu■.erhccl. 'The I association regarded t!io Wallace street routo as tho natural i.nd" quickest means of access to Newtown, and if the trams ran ,by that route the traffic on tho Basin Reserve lino would be much relieved. Tho matter of expenditure and labour might ha suggoiMod as an obstacle to this proposal, tut they did not see any probability' or financial difficulty. The time lind_ come when a ladies' rest" room-should' be-es-tablished in tlie vicinity of Vivian and Cuba streets. There was a certain property on the market near thu Njaiicnal Bank that might be acquirosi for the erection of rest room and waiting room. Tlie Queen's Theatre would ai-" so be a good site, as it was a central position. WALLACE STRICT "EXTENSIONr; Referring to tho suggested"' Wallace street extension, Mr Cox, of Melrose, said that that route appeared to him both quicker and . healthier than the present route, while at tho same time it would bring Wellington South into closer ttouch with Cuba street and district. Most of the building that was going on in and around the-•city whs - going on on the levels] nnd-th© depu-* tation considered that for 'tlie health of the community it was necessary that the people should bo induced to tho higher levels by improved tramway* facilities. They were not asking that the cars should be immediately introduced to Melrose, but'-'simply that a portion of the loan it was intended to raiso for city development should be set aside for that particular purpose. The chairman of tho committee (Councillor George' Frost, deputy-May-or) assured the deputation thait their recommendations would be considered, and pointed out that many of the subjects raised were already being reported upon by the council's officers. A report was being framed as 'to the estimated cost of the Wallace street tramway route to Newtown. The question of the duplication of tlie Vivian street line would be considered by tlie city engineer. He also realised the necessity of a rest room in "Cuba street, and this would also receive consideration. The committee would go into the matters referred to it and report to the council as as possible.