TRAMWAY DEVELOPMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19531, 14 July 1925, Page 2

TRAMWAY DEVELOPMENT.

PROPOSED MORNINGTON EXTENSION. VARIOUS CAUSES OF DELAY Extensions of the present tramway line to Ivlornington must have been under discussion so long now that it is only really old residents who can recall a time when such a proposal was not more or less under consideration. At least two attempts in recent years to meet the demands of residents beyond iho present terminus broke down after a short trial. Then vfie war put a veto on plans of development, but quite lately a new plan of tramway extension has taken definite shape. This is the scheme to extend the present line straight on up Mailer street and then by a road yet to be formed continuing that line directly through to Kenmuro road. So many preliminary tteps have been taken and difficulties removed that the residents whoso properties will have to bo cut into, to provide the now route have been expecting for some time to learn exactly where the roadline is to go and as nearly a§ possible when they may expect the work to be proceeded with. The sections concerned are mostly longestablished large suburban properties, and anyone who has ever taken a pride in his garden will understand the importance of getting sufficient warning when a certain piece is to be cut away. When they know that the owners will make their preparations accordingly in order to save what they can and to rearrange their properties as the seasons give opportunity. Inquiries made by an Otago Daily Times reporter in a number of quarters showed that the position is a decidedly complicated one, and that it is by no moans a simple matter to make any prediction about, the date of putting the work in hand. There are three departments of the City Council— Tramways, Finance, and Works—directly concerned, and this gives excellent opportunity for each to suggdfet that the real cause of the delay now taking place is to bo found somewhere else. There has been some tendency to use this opportunity, quite unofficially, of course, and the residents themselves have not escaped censure for holding up progress. It will be remembered that in May of last year a tramway extension loan poll was carried for the raising of a sum of £IOO,OOO to be expended over a period of five years. One of the items scheduled in this loan was the “Extension of Mornington main cable line to Kenmure road, £18,300.” The original intention was to borrow £20,000 each year for the five years, but the pressure of Exhibition requirements has already completely upset that schedule. The cost of the lino from George street to the Exhibition was sot down at £27,850, and to that has to bo added a further sum of £19,000 for buses to cope with the Exhibition traffic. Those extra buses involve in turn an expenditure for shed and workshop extensions estimated to cost £7IOO. After the Exhibition line, the next one to bo taken in hand is the Forbury Park extension, estimated to cost £12,000. The Tramways Committee has been practically forced to expedite this work Because the offer of a guarantee from the Forbury Park Trotting Club was liable to bo withdrawn if the work were delayed. Cr J. S. Douglas, chairman of the Tramways Committee, states that the Forbury lino will bo finished before the opening of the Exhibition, and in time for the next trotting mooting. After Forbury Park line, there are the Wilkie road line, the Carisbrook line, the Caversham extension to Lookout Point, and the Mornington extension to be considered. The order of preference among these has not been decided, but oven on the assumption that Mornington will bo dealt with next after Forbury, it will bo seen from the figures just given that an estimated expenditure of £66,000 out of the £IOO,OOO loan has to bo dealt with before Mornington is reached. If the Finance Committee hold strictly to the original plan of raising £20,000 a year that would mean the passage of three years before the money would bo in sight, but Exhibition necessities hare already compelled that plan to be broken through, and Cr Tavernor (the chairman of the Finance Committee) says that the committee is not bound to any annual sum, but' is free to consider whatever position may arise. On the matter of the delay at Mornington, Or Douglas pointed out that the Works Department had to form the road before the Tramway Committee could take action. There is a considerable amount of filling in to be done on the proposed route. Cr Douglas summed up the position of his department by saying that the Tramways Committee was ready to go on at once with the Mornington extension if it had the road from the Works Department and the necessary loan from the Finance Committee. Or Taverner, questioned on the subject of the delay of the Mornington extension, said that nothing further oould bo done till they had the now electrical drive machinery installed and working. The change over from the steam drive should be made, he thought, about tho end of the month. Until then tho Tramways Committee was not in a position to go on with tho extension to tho top of the hill. When the present undertakings wore out of the way there would bo no further reason for holding tho matter up; but ho doubted if tho staff could cope with tho Mornington work at tho present moment. Speaking on tho financial aspect of tho scheme, Cr Taverner pointed out that they might be able to draw more heavily on revenue than they had anticipated and a good deal depended on that. Or Wilson, Chairman of tho Works Committee, was brief and to the point: “We are waiting for the final survey,” he said, “and until wo get those pegs in we cannot do anything. Personally, 1 am pushing it on all I can.” He d■■dined to hazard any conjecture as to how long it would be before the work was actually put in hand. Mr Fred Smith, who had been acting for • the residents above tho Rev. Mr Statham’s old property, showed some correspondence that had passed between them an;i tho Town Clerk (Mr G. A. Lewin). They understood at first that the new road was to be a 66ft one, but a plan came to them from the Town Clerk showing than it was proposed to have it varying in width from 70ft to 90ft. There were to be two strips of grass 7jft wide, one on either side of the road. On March 4 the eight residents concerned wrote pointing out inconveniences that would be caused by the inclusion of these side strips, and suggesting that they be omitted from the plan so as'to reduce the total width to 66ft. They also asked the approximate date on which tho council intended to take possession, and that the lino should bo roughly pegged out for their information. A reply was received from tho Town Clerk on April 18 stating that it had been agreed to cut off the extra 15ft as requested and that fresh plans were being prepared. “You will be further communicated with in due course as to the actual area to be taken by the council.” On May 6 came a further letter stating that Mr B. Fltcher Roberts had been authorised to make the necessary survey and asking that he be granted right of entry. Mr Smith replied granting the permission, and this is the last that he. has officially heard on the subject. He is still as much in the dark as ever as to what ground is required, and when it will actually be taken. Mr Roberts, when questioned on the matter, simply stated that the survey was in hand, but not yet completed. As a servant of the council he did not care to say more.

One resident stated that he has personal information from the Town Clerk that he could go ahead with all his gardening plans for this season as nothing would be done during the next 12 months. In view of the present rate of progress that seems a quite safe statement, and in all the circumstances those who are anxious for the lino may consider themselves fortunate if they see preparations started at the end of that period.