BOROUGH DEPUTATIONS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16464, 17 June 1919, Page 6

BOROUGH DEPUTATIONS.

SMALL COMMITTEE FROM WESTOWN. TRAMS, STREETS, FOOTPATHS, AND LIGHTS. The hearing of deputations of ratepayers occupied the attention of the Dorough Council for an hour and aquarter on Monday evening. VVestown had the first innings and at eight o’clock thirteen residents of that suburb filed into the council chamber and occupied the spare seats. Mr. J. D. Sole (spokesman) explained that he had with him a small deputation from the Westown Progressive Association to bring before the notice of the council some of the urgent needs of the district. Mr. Sole, continuing, pointed out that rapid progress was being made by Westown and that this demanded greater facilities, the principal of which wits an extension of the trams to that suburb. It was felt that the majority of the ratepayers in the borough wanted the trams to bo extended, not only to Westown, but also to other suburbs, and the association felt that Westown should ,be dealt with first as the principal suburb. Other towns had put trams out to suburbs to attract population and not waited until the population was there. He cited Wanganui as an instance. Westown was bom catered for by a municipal ’ bus service but, the speaker pointed out, it was totally inadequate. On behalf of the Westown people he thanked the council for doing the best it could in trying to serve two suburbs with one bus, but he did not think that one bus for each would servo the requirements of to-day. The visitors to Duncan and Davies’ nursery were estimated to number 1500 a year and it was anticipated that the number would increase largely. A great many people in the district were using their own conveyances, being afraid to trust to the bus service on account of its being so limited. Touching on the housing question, Mr. Sole suggested the extension of tho trams to the suburbs as one solution to overcome this difficulty. Eight houses wore to be built at Westown immediately men were available. In tho near future when the cost of building material came down, as it undoubtedly would, he felt sure Westown would become a very large suburb. Mr. Sole pointed out that the line to the suburb would serve as a feeder to the main lino and that a line to Westown via Morley Street would serve the hospital. Some time ago they had asked that the extension should run to David Street. To-day they felt justified in asking for a further extension to Wallath Road, or practically to tho borough boundary * They knew that the cost of materials was high, but had no doubt that by the time the initial formalities had been gone through it would be much cheaper than at present. The speaker mentioned that last Saturday the 5 o’clock bus carried 47 passengers and left behind another 11, though built, he believed, for 22. He mentioned that the Rotokare Domain and Raetapihipihi Scenic Reserve, now' practically unknown, would be largely patronised by picnic parties if transport facilities were provided. It was realised that tho council could not immediately cany out the extensions, but the council was asked to consider the matter and take the initial steps. The speaker suggested that tho council should obtain the necessary power to extend the trams to other suburbs besides Westown and carry out the work as demand arose or the council thought best. The Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess), in replying for the council, said the tramways engineer was already going into the question. It was impossible at present to take any poll of tho ratepayers, because it was not known what would be the cost and, for another thing, tho council did not know where it could borrow' tho money. He had only that evening been told by the engineer that rails had fallen a little, but were still just 100 per cent, higher than before the war. It was all a question of finance. What would have cost £SOOO before tho war would cost £IO,OOO now. The council would give tho question of going to Wallath Road every consideration, but it was a suggestion that would have to be weighed very carefully. The council was anxious to see the extension carried out; it had been on the boards since the war began and was an evergreen subject. He thought Councillor Clarke (chairman of tho Tramways Committee) would say that it was the intention to do tho work as soon as possible. Councillor Clarke: That is so.

Some more of the things in Westown that required very urgent consideration were then mentioned by Mr. V. Duff, who first said that, as most of thoso present were aware, the streets wore in a hopeless condition. In some places they were not strets at all, only grass, and, where the grass was worn off, just clay and mud. He proceeded to enter into details regal-ding footpaths and other improvements required in Wallace Place, Tukapa Road, Belt Road, Webster Street, Massey Street, Dartmoor Avenue, Dawson Street, David Street, Wallath Road, Seavicw Road, and Morley Street. In reply, the Mayor pointed out that some of the works mentioned had already been authorised, but the council was snowed up with work. Sufficient men could not be obtained. He thought the most men they had had this year was forty. The work the speaker had asked for would run into a considerable amount of money. If Dartmoor and those places had been loaded before being cut up it would have made a great difference to the council. As far as footpaths were concerned, there was £2OOO in the £IO,OOO loan to be spent on footpaths and the committee would go into the matter of which should be done. The Mayor mentioned, as he bad done on previous occasions, that' the council had never picked up after getting behind with the tramways and the beginning of the war. though they were picking up now. They were yet behind with work under the' £42,000 loan which had been authorised some five to six years ago. Mr-. W. H. Haddrell, another member- of the deputation, asked for street lights to be installed half-way between Cutfield Road and Belt Road, at the corner of Price and Tukapa Streets, at the corner of Dorset Avenue and Dartmoor Avenue (already authorised), and at the corner of the main road and Wallath Road. The Mayor said the matter would be looked into. ELECTRIC LIGHT FOR SPOTSWOOD.

The next deputation consisted of font residents from the Spotswood and Omata districts, who came in conneo tion with resolutions passed at a meeting held on June 4. Mr. D. J. Hughes, in opening, said they had not been before the council since May, 1915, on the matter of electric light because of the war being ce... lie iderrsd ,tc '.lie dan

gers and inconveniences incidental to “spluttering candles” which residents in their districts had to put up with because the electric system had not been carried out there. It was understood that the borough was increasing its power and probably supplying Eltham and other towns, but.Spotswood, a suburb of the town, could not get current. Already there was some proposal in the air to form a private company to generate in a small way, but the speaker did not want to see that come about if it could be avoided. The Mayor said the list of names of the likely consumers would have to be referred to the engineer for a report as to the cost and whether current could be spared. The present load was very near the limit that could be obtained from the existing plant. Eitham and other places were not being asked to take current from the present plant. It would be two years before the first part of the programme of extensions could be completed and five years before the whole could be carried out.

Mr. Hughes also mentioned the bad state of the South Road from the borough boundary to Johnston’s store, and the. Mayor replied that the wurk had been authorised 15 months ago, but had had to wait its turn to be carried out. The borough staff was at present doing seven “greater New Plymouth” roads, and tho engineer would go on with South Road as soon as ever he could get to it. Metal was very' hard to get at the present time, as well as labour.