CASTLE STREET LINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25566, 20 June 1944, Page 4

CASTLE STREET LINE

LIFTING OF RAILSPREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS TO STAND Motions of which he had given notice were brought forward by Cr D. G. McMillan at the meeting of the City Council last night, seeking to have rescinded the resolutions of the previous council to remove the rails on the Castle street tram route. They were defeated by seven votes to six after a fairly long discussion. Cr McMillan, in accordance with notice, moved: — That the resolution of the City Council, dated May 24, 1943, reading, " That as no petition has been received from ratepayers objecting to the proposal, instructions be issued to the city solicitors to proceed with the preparation of the memorial for an authorising order,” moved by Mr M. C. Henderson and secondedJpy Cr D. C. Jolly, be rescinded. That sub-clause (b) of paragraph (T) of the report of the Trading Committee, transport section report No. 383, which reads: “(b) That the necessary steps be taken for the revocation of the Grder-in-Council governing the operation of the Castle street line,” be rescinded. Cr McMillan said that if the revocation of the Order-in-Council were signed, the City Council would not be entitled to run trams on the Castle street line even if it wanted to. The purpose of his motions was to withdraw the application. His opinion was that they should run trams in Castle street in perpetuity. Others had different opinions, but even if the tram rails were lifted, they could not run trolley buses until after the war. If the Order-in-Council was revoked the council would be compelled to run petrol or Diesel buses. Cr R. Walls, who seconded the motion, said it had been stated repeatedly that there were not sufficient buses to cope with the present services, and if the Castle street tram rails were lifted he could not see how another service could be provided to take the place of the trams. If the rails were removed, they would have neither a tram nor a bus service. ■ Cr J. McCrae said that the statement made in the press by Cr McMillan that a majority of those elected to the council had expressed therraelves in favour of the trams was not correct. The majority of the present councillors had expressed no opinion, preferring to withhold judgment until Sir William Goodman’s report had arrived. He himself had stated that the Castle street line should not be lifted and that the question should be considered in conjunction with the Goodman report. He was still of that opinion. Cr McMillan said that immediately the Minister signed the revoking order the trams in Castle street would stop running. Cr McMillan: I did not say immediately. A Legal Opinion “What authority has he for making such a statement? ” Cr McCrae asked. Cr McCrae added that a legal opinion had been obtained by the transport manager (Mr W. H. Mackenzie) from the ciiy solicitors, who nad stated quite definitely that the council could run the trams ,if it desired for two years after the signing of the order, and at the expiration of two years they could ask for a further period. The Minister had no right to withhold the authority, and if any accident were to occur because of the withholding of the order, then the responsibility would be the Minister’s. The council would not lift the Castle street rails until -the necessity arose, he added, but it would be wrong not to do,so if by not lifting the rails they were to endanger the lives of the ratepayers. Cr P. G. Connolly said that if Cr McCrae represented the view of t e Transport Committee, there must haye been a distinct change of opinion in the last three months. He recalled that the transport manager had said that if the order were signed, he would start to lift the Castle street rails. Cr McCrae: We have got new rails since then. . .. The Mayor (Mr D. C. Cameron) said the whole question was one of council policy on the transport system, and he believed that the correct procedure was for such matters to go through the committee. The position had altered in the last few months, as the council now had Sir William Goodman’s report on the whole system, whereas Cr McMillan’s motions dealt with only a small part of the system. Consideration of the resolutions should be deferred until the council had had an opportunity of considering the Goodman report and of defining its policy. Mr Cameron said he had always been an advocate of trams, and he would agree to the removal of the rails only if there was positive danger in running the cars in Castle street, and secondly, if rails from Castle street were necessary to maintain the main city services. e Further, he would support the lifting of the lme if the council adopted a new transport policy, but he could see nothing to be gained by rescinding tlie previous resolutions before the Goodman report was considered. . , Cr L. J. Ireland questioned the right of any councillor to communicate with a Minister concerning any notice of motion he intended to bring before the council. Why should it not be brought before the council in the ordinary way instead of backdoor methods being adopted to obtain the support of a Minister? He agreed that consideration of transport matters should be held over until the Goodman report was dealt with. , Cr W. A, Hudson supported the motion, and Cr L. M. Wright said that he must oppose it until Sir William Goodman’s report was dealt with. Order Withheld , Cr W. B. Taverner said he considered it unprecedented that after the council had complied with the regulations the Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple) should have withheld the authority for revoking the Order-in-Council. There was no question of not being able to provide the alternative service that was required. He also questioned whether anyone would be prepared to spend the £40,000 that would be necessary for the re-laying of the lines in Castle street. The proper course would be for the council to adhere to its previous resolution and to request the Minister tp submit -the . revoking order to the Governor-General for his signature.

Cr McMillan, in reply, said that the whole purpose of the motion was to have the lifting of the rails deferred to enable the Goodman report to be dealt with. He added that any . individual had a right to approach a Minister on any question, and he believed the Minister of Works was quite right in holding his hand until he saw what the new council would decjde to do. The motions were defeated by seven votes to six, the voting being: For — Crs Walls, Connolly, McMillan. Munro, Blain, and Hudson; against—the Mayor and Crs McCrae, Ireland, Barr, Wright, Jolly, and Taverner.

Cr McMillan's further motion —“ That the Government, the appropriate Ministers, and the Works Department be notified that the council does not desire the revocation of the Order-in-Council governing the operation of the Castle street line ” —was then ruled out of order by the Mayor.