The Star. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1902. HANSEN IS HANSEN DOES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7417, 31 May 1902, Page 4

The Star. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1902. HANSEN IS HANSEN DOES.

i j t * — — — \, \ *'*' The Tramway Conference is not an inz. - harmonious body, but it appears to possess, in a perfectly polite and proper way, a «ertaia element ' of that " house-divided- , against-itself " spirit which makes its deliberations result in much cry and ;very little wool. Some of the members seem to f -have adopted the gospel of Dainty Irene IFranklin, • the little lady who used to yarble as her trade-mark — \ \ -want ih' streets all paved with, carpet, -* , Brussels carpet! ,> '" Jft.nd . l dont want any trolley-car/ y* lAt least this is the implication from their t * x>bstructiveness. But there are signs that % i 'fcome sort of order may yet be evolved at an early date from the chaos of conflict--1 * ' ing arguments and schemes. The meeting - „ Jast night found itself, after long deliberation, in almost a worse plight than "^Tirhen it settled down, to business. Mr lHansen stated that he was prepared to •withdraw his original scheme, and- hinted, ',Twith his old insinuating smile, that bland 5 tod child-like beam, that two schemes . .would" be submitted directly which were the. 1 perfection of compromise, and which would make smooth the rough places to the satisfaction of everybody — connected with the Electric Traction Company. There was i' talk of further delays, of informal plebiscites, and other forms of impracticableness. fortunately, the Mayor came to the restue, and turned a threatened abortion in- ' to a germ potential for good. His motion jwas ia the direction of getting an Act pass--7 fed during the coming session constituting to tramways district. This, at Jeast, was practical; for the constitution of such a district is an absolutely necessary preliminary to a consultation of the ratepayers jupon whatever policy of action may ultimately be* agreed upon. With a district * tetatutorily constituted, the Tramway Board » f trill be in a position to take a vote of the people as "to whether they wish; their t trams- run by a peculiarly disinterestted syndicate, or by tlheir own, wick-, fed aad perverted representatives. Human nature is so "cussed" that the people ,wiE almost certainly declare for the latter alternative. It is a selfish course, too, for it means that if the profit which the syndiS anticipates can bs made out of the im in ten years materialises, it will be rbed by the municipalitiest and returnfed to the people, instead of going to bolster up the operation> of a foiahidiaW© trust. r aPurthennore, a declaration for municipalisa-,-tion -would lack that variety which has |>een so admirably described as the spice *>f life. The whole trend of our social and legislation for years past has been Sn the direction of taking the control of the public welfare and convenience out of the hands of syndicates and individuals, ' tod administering them, by the people ihemvelves, either through the State -ot through! local bodies. People who are always con- : .' feistent are not human. Would it not be \ fU3 well to assert our humanity by the ( tehanning little inconsistency of selling- our i birthright to a shrewd and enterprising [ fcyndicate? It would be so nice and original r i te thing to do — something off the ordinary 1 lines. The ultimate verdict meantime lies in the lap of th'ft gods, but, inasmuch as Ume k now the very essence of agreement, |t is gratifying to find at least one practical fetep being taken towards a settlement of much-vexed question. Many of the present concessions are nearing their effluxion, tod, if we still " want to see wheels go Wound" at the end of two years, we shall Slave to whine with all the persistency of Helen's youngest scapegrace to keep the powers tiat be or that are to be moving. ,