THE CASTLE STREET TRAMWAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12935, 30 March 1904, Page 2

THE CASTLE STREET TRAMWAY.

TO 'IllK KDITOIt. Sii:, —I expected thai during the (2i-.cits-ijimi in tho Oily C/une:! of Cr Lav.'renee-'s motion ro the Gardens route Mime stronger reasons would have been .sno'.vn by the opponents of lhat routo than tlioy woro ! iipjmrtMitiy alilo to produce. Vnat tir.y did say, however, must be of no link- interest j to the citizens. • i'ii-st, Cr liraithwait--? seconded tlio motion : for a plebiscite, but not, b? it, noted, as ; a supporter of the natural route-, for lie j jnad« it plain lie licuid vote agsinst it, ami gave his reasons. "If," he said, ''the lino was taken through the Gardens it J infant it would have to bo a double lino, j and eventually a strKt." For this he; proves too much to support 'his own at;i- j tnde, for the.:o things could never occur j except under the pro-sure of the strong | necessity for an improved traffic rc«t?. llis j position, therefore, is that whilst leoognis- j ins present necessities and forecasting their j increase, bo vv: 1:, in view of that necessity, • vot-o us before:against the brat and most! natural route, and continue to obstruct tho ] p>ogress of the city! Yet thin is tho loi'ie with which lie propuses to outer the Mayoral chair! Let tho ratepayers beware. Then Cr Tapper chipped iu, and asserted that tho time was inopportune. The council, ho said, should eompleto the present licrvice before duplicating (!) any portion of it. "Lot the council prov'e that tho tramways would pay, and then 110 member of the council would be more ready than himself !o uiford greater facilities to the public in tlio shape of an improved vice." I'ay? How can this section of the service over pity, laid off, us it is, to avoid rather than to i-ccuro passGngsrs, besidca lining handicapped by an appalli'.g wante of power and dii-taneo and an equallv excessive weav and tear, 'the most charitablc view to take of this utterance- is that this speaker has not yet grasped tiio gravity of the situation. Then the Mayor spoke. The lino throu-jh tho Gardens would, he said, cost £5300, inelntling a bridge. The council had only £300,000. while tho present works would cost £309,000, inclusive, it may bo supposed, of n line to Anderson's Bay. Ho therefore urged caution as to "further expenditure," and thought tho present time was piomaturo to consider tho question. L'-'t tho citizens as ratepayers beware of this advice —I hose, especially, whoso claim for an efficient service in the nnwt populous tli«Irict. of tho city hn=: Ixvn practically ignored. The Mayor's counsel simply means this: Let us finish our present- undertaking, pood or bad or indifferent; let 113 exhaust our funds 011 them; and then, when T am out of office, the next Mayor will tell you that thero is no more money, anil lhat lie was rir.t Mayor when the llowe strict muddle was perpetrated. Why, tlio cei-t of tho Gardens extension will probably recoup il.ielf in liltlo over a. year. Will any other tramway expenditure in city or suburbs produce a like rosu-lt? All these gentlemen iidvise llic ratepayers lo remain bull-dnvil till some fulur' date-. and to submii with closed eyes to I lie present shameful blnnd")' being perprtu at"d. Meantime nil tho inconvenience that must ensue, and all (hi; 10-s thai in Milß hourly incurrcil, i.i lo be accepted cr ignorr-d. In other words, bavin;; made a grievous blunder, let us stick to it at all costs. I shall be very much surprised if the cotnniunifv docs not walten up to the position and ir.sii-t on their representatives taking inmir-dialo i>teps to extend the natural route through the flardciw. If ratepayers are content, lo remain dumb and submissive tti«*y deserve up better than to snlTrr the oh-lruelinns imposed by a few mi •taken sent iineiitnlistis and pay the piper. ft is perfectly apparent that the (Verge street line is so congested us to crrdto n pripvance there nearly as great as exists in Castle street. Tln> disgraceful overcrowding of cars rooms likely lo become permanent among us. 't'tio Viitlov people frerpiontly 1 oeupy every sent, whil't the city passrnI'cts from the I'icil-h southwards have to fl.md and jostle about as Ihey best can. 1 do nnt complain of tho Valley people. Tho city lias underlal.'on (a provide Ihcm with

a car service, and I am glad tliey aro taking advantage of it to tlio fullest extent. They provide a substantial portion of the revenue in return, and are entitled to proper accommodation in the ems. J!ut why cliould they bo forced along the western lino to add to (.ho congestion there whilst there arc cars running 'mipty in Castle street, and why should they have to travel an additional half-mile uselessly if they wish to travel by tlio latter line? This anomaly will lie very greatly intensified as soon as the new railway station is opened, and revenues distinctly in sight will never roach tlio treasury. The suggestion to make a loop line at llowp street is certainly a public recognition of the blunder, but- it is very far from providing ft remedy. To double tlio number of cars forced round that absurd detour is only to double the wear and tear and all the other useless costs and lossen. The lino i- a conspicuous failure, not only from a revenue aspect, but also from the standpoint of utility, and it will continue to ho so until it is made serviceable to t-hoso who tiro cxpwtwl to uee it and don't. It would then, and then only, savo enormous waste, and command revenue at prosent hopelessly lest. To this end the Howe street half-niilo must bo bloitcd out entirely. The only remedy is to carry the Castle street line through the Gardens so as to lap tho A'alley at the Onoho read. Them would then bo no neod of sharp cornet* and oxiwnsivo point.?, as the two lines would naturally form a round loop. The Valley would also havo a ohoioe of direct routes. Through passengers and those for tlio railway station and other points on tlio eastern line would certainly 30 that way, and those for Georgo street tvould travel l>y the western route. Casllo street would at onco nnoomo an important sorvie<\ instead of a fhastly failure, and the conation in George street would lie largely relieved. The sooner this is aecomp'isliod the better for lite travrllin;,' public, and, consequentially, tho better for the city revenues. If you will allow me, I may Inve something to say on the icstlielie side of the qu'v.lion, which should not bo ignored; but it miirfc not allowed to dominate and obstruct tho natural and ncccssary lines of passwge-r traffic.—l am, etc., WILM.Uf BROWN. Dunodin, March 23.