THIRD EDITION. CORRESPONDENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17186, 9 November 1926, Page 9

THIRD EDITION. CORRESPONDENCE

THE TRAM LOSSES

(To (ho Editor of the Heraid.} Sir,—There is no doubt that those fortunate people living on the tramway route will vote to retain the white elephant which they do not have to toed. They have for many years enjoyed cheap fares at the expe'nsa of ail the other ratepayers of the town. Why should the residents of say, Chiklers road, Aberdeen road, Victoria Township, lower Whataupoko, and the whole of Kaiti have to pay from £ICO to £l5O a week for the convenience of the few people living on the two tram routes? Will these fortunate individuals agree lo subsidise a, cheap bus service for all the rest of the town residents, who for so long have hail to walk or provide their own means of conveyance? Never in voHr life! 1 Fail lo see why Cr. Kick ford should he so keen to keep the trams, seeing that one of the basic principles of his Labor platform is that there should be "No taxation without representation." What good; have the ratepayers in his—outer Kaiti—neighborhood had 1 from the trams': It is vo he hoped that every ratepayer from that district will come and vote to scrap the money-paling incubus. \\ ilh £IOO to £lso* a week extra to spend on decent loads and footpaths, there might he some comfort* in living in the outskirts •oi the town.- I am, oic. RATEPAYER. TIIK TRAMS, (To the Editor of the Herald.l Sir,—Last night Mr Maude was proceeding to show that very many years must pass before the tram loans are discharged, when Mr Lvsnar interjected, "Let posterity pay for them." Mr Lvsnar knows that there can be no more ruinous policy pursued than that of borrowing money and making inadequate provision' for repayment. Inadequate provision has" been made, for repayment of the (rain loans, for it- is clear that whether the trams are scrapped now or in a year or two there will still be a heavy debt to discharge. It is only necessary to multiply this borrowing process "a little and the result •will be an intolerable burden of debt not only for posterity but also for ourselves. " "Posterity" with regard to I the Borough loans means the children now growing up in the town, and citizens will not approve of a- policy of I piling up a heavy load! of debt- to be ; carried first by themselves and then by | their children'long after ijie asset pur-1 chased with the loan has been worn out. { It is regrettable that a mistaken sense' of loyalty compels Mr Lvsnar as originator i'l the Uisborne trams to defend [hem in face of the expert evidence, and that when faced with a hard financial fact bis replv should be "Let posterity pay."-! am.'etc. J. BLAIR. (To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,—The report of the Public Works Commission upon our tramways establishes two tilings clearly—(l) the large, loss upon the trains, ami (2) the definite reecmmendalitfi) for their scrapping; and the important point to remember is that the Commission's report carefully avoids exaggeration and keeps the losses down to a minimum. They show that the lowest sum which the ratepayers will lose by continuing the run the trams ■rill be £5366 annually. The loss maybe higher. It cannot, they point out, he less than this. This kiss of £5466 is arrived at without allowing for the item of interest and sinking fund. £2942, which increases the loss 'to £B4OB. h ', is no wonder that in view of such losses the Commission's report makes the definite recommendation to scrap the Irams.-I am, etc. RATEPAYER. (To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,—Statements have been put forward that some councillor or councillors ore interested! in an existing or contemplated bus service. Mr. 11. E. Maude holds 100 shares in the Gisborne Motor Service Co., but this company is carrying on a number of long-distance (services only, and has no intention of commencing a motor-bus service of any description? for which, cf course, its pi int Vrndd he totally unsuitable. With this single exception, none of us are interested in any existing or contemplated motor-bus service, or in the affairs of any motor-bus proprietor or company, and none of our-relatives have any' such interest. Statements have also been made by opposing councillors that whichever parly is successful at Friday's poll, they will lake stops to upset' that poll. ' We desire to give this an emphatic contradiction so far as we and our supporters are concerned. We are prepared lo abide by the deci-s-ioii of the ratepayers, who are obviously (he persons concerned in the matter.'and, should we prove unsuccessful, we will certainly take no steps to upset the expression of the ratepayers' will.— We are, etc., T. E. TONEYCLIFFE. J. BLAIR, J. N. BULLARD. THOS. TODD. It. E. MAUDE. L. T. BURNARD.