THE EXHIBITION TEAM ROUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19275, 12 September 1924, Page 6

THE EXHIBITION TEAM ROUTE.

It was a simple enough matter for the City Council to decide to carry a tramway from George street to Logan Park to serve the requirements of the Exhibition traffic. But the decision respecting the actual route has been attended with difficulties. The proposal to carry the line down Union street evoked, naturally enough, protest from the University authorities. In any case that was x’egarded as only a temporary route. The conclusion next emerged that Frederick street would bo a desirable route, but that street passes the public hospital, and the Hospital Board raised a protesting voice. The first deputation to interview the council on behalf of the board and state the objections to the Frederick street route was success ful to the extent that no decision was come to pending a further report by the Ttamways Committee. That report, presented at this week’s meeting of the council, recommended adherence to the Frederick street route, but was opposed by another and more imposing deputation, with the result that the whole question has been reopened with the adoption of a resolution instructing the committee to consider a route from George street that will avoid the Hospital. We tiling the council has shown judgment in adopting this course. The arguments against the use of the upper portion of Frederick street for tramway purposes are too strong to be ignored, even granted that sound practical reasons guided the Tramways Committee to the conclusion that this route possessed peculiar advantages. It would be interesting, however, to know why the committee, faced with objections to the Union street route on the one hand and the Frederick street route on the other, has been reluctant to fall back upon tho rather obvious alternative of Albany street, which lies between the two, and is not open to objection on behalf of cither the University or the Hospital. Presumably, as regards the construction of the line, there is no argument against Albany street that does not apply equally in the case of Frederick street. . Cr Wilson and Cr Clark have been emphatic, we note, in expressing the view that the Albany street route would be just as suitable as that by way of Frederick street. If difficulty has been made out of the circumstance that the penny section from the city terminates at Frederick street that could surely be got over by an extension of the section by one block. But it seems to be just questionable whether, after all, there is any occasion for so much racking of brains to discover how a suitable tramway connection can best be made between George street and the Exhibition. Is it necessary that the tram service desired should run from George street at all? The point was raised during the discussion at tho council meeting on Wednesday night, and the chairman of the Tramways Committee went so far as to' say that if the committee’s recommendation were referred back he believed that it would revert to the idea of the Castle street and Lower Frederick street route. If that be the prospect we see no reason to regard it with dismay. The Tramways Committee may be well advised to examine more closely the advantages of this route witli a view to its possible adoption in lieu of one connecting with George street. Fairly apparent merits would be the avoidance of the Hospital, the retention of the advantages of the Frederick street route as one tapping an area likely to be more closety settled, and the shorter length of new line that would be required. Further, it is to be borne in mind that the greater proportion of tho population of Dunedin is resident in the southern area, and its convenience would be suited by the use of the Castle street route, while the consideration that the latter passes the railway station is not immaterial. On the other hand, the walking distance between George street and Castle street is too short to constitute any great hardship in the case of those who would be best suited if the new line connected with George street. In reviewing the position the Tramways Committee cannot go wrong in giving these considerations its attention, even though they go beyond the issue defined in the resolution adopted by the council.