SPREYDON TRAMWAYS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 826, 3 October 1916, Page 3

SPREYDON TRAMWAYS.

EXTENSION OF SERVICE WANTED. PLAIN SPEAKING BY BOARD'S CHAIRMAN. A proposal to extend the presenti tramway service farther into Sprey-! don was placed before the Tram-1 ways Board at its'meeting yester-j day by a deputation representing the! Spreydon Borough Council, consisting of the Mayor (Mr \V. H. Winsor) and Messrs A. Manhire, J. O'Rorke, and 1-2. Tavlor.

Mr Winsor said that although! Spreydon was one of the original l guarantors for tl j Christchurchj tramways, the borough only poses-; sed 10 chains of line within its boundaries. During the past 10 years the J tramways had been hugely instrumental for the increase in Ihe! borough's population from 1(00 to! over 5000. This was (\vx\ of course,' to Ihe surrounding lines, but also 1 , greatly to the 10 chains actually within the district—the Coronation Street line. But many residents had! to walk a mile at least before reach-' ing this terminus, and he would! therefore propose that the board; should take into consideration: the extension of this line to I Simeon Street, through Athelstoni Street to Barrington, Stourbridge, - and Lyitelton Sheets. There was an alternate route, along Selwyn: Street and Rosewarne .Street to Stourbridge Street, which might per-; haps pay better, but which would not fairly open up and develop the; district to the same extent as thej other. Both schemes would entail! the addition of about 02 chains of: line —a little over u mile.

Mr Manhire said that he presumed the hoard was looking for fresh business, and this was a business proposal. There was a large district waiting for a tram to develop it, and: which would repay the board hand-; somely in future years. In reply to n question, Mr Winsor! stated that there were about 150 j houses on the immediate line of the proposed route, but the extension! would cater for about two-fifths ofj the population. But it was more to the future that the board should! look.

The chairman (Mr C. M. Gray) in- 1 timated that the proposal would be l given the utmost consideration by the Works and Trafiic Committee,! but he would like to point out that Chrislchurch was the most heavily i ''trammed" city south of the line.! The systems here catered for 1200: residents, as against 1000 in Welling-: ton and about 3000 in Auckland and' Dunedin. It would be seen, therefore, that the board had catered more! than liberally. Hut il was the aim and policy of the board to take a; tram system where population was! densest—not to make or provide fori prospective or future population.; The latter, of course, had been done,; mainly in special districts, but he did not believe in special districts and' would set his face against any future; proposals in this direction. They! did not pay, and led to speculation, which had usually ended !;auly. The present time, too, was inopportune for further expenditure, ihe board j was even now faced with the question of the relaying of the Opawa line and the duplication of the Worcester Street route. It was a bad time also to go to England for materials such as rails, etc. In conclusion, he would say he did not desire to prejudge the application, hut he hoped the council would not be unduly disappointed if the board failed! to fall in with the proposal. The deputation then withdrew, j and it was decided to refer the matter to the Works and Traffic Committee for consideration.