The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1903. THE TRAMWAYS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7722, 4 June 1903, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1903. THE TRAMWAYS.

The members of the Tramway Board aro not allowing the grass to grow under their feet. Fortified 'by a fixed determination that their proposals for the electrification of the tram services shall be brought home to the ratepayers, they are stumping tho tramway area with a persistence worthy of so good a cause. A frosty night did not prevent them from planting their standardat the Canterbury Hall on Tuesday, a still frostier one did not hihder the chairman, and some of his colleagues from carrying on the campaign at New Brighton last night, and no matter what tho weather may have in store, the residents of Papanui are to be attacked this evening. So far the Board and its well-wishers have. every reason to be satisfied with the progress which has been made. The attendances at the meetings have, considering the weather and one or two other obstacles we could name, been large enough to gratify the supporters of the. movement, and the proposals have been debated with sufficient thoroughness to make their discussion of educational value. That the ratepayers have beneficedby the meetings may be taken for granted. Previous to the first, although they were not totally ignorant of the intentions of the Board,' their stock of information- was small in comparison with their present store. The progress which they have made in their education is duo in measure to the. discussions which have taken place at the meetings, but principally to ,the admirably clear explanation of the Board's policy delivered on both occasions by the chairman. Mr Recce evidently set out to make the Board's proposals understandable tp the cloudiest intellects, and he may congratulate himself on having succeeded. We doubt if there is a single ratepayer among those present at the meetings who can now plead ignorance of the Board's intentions, and those who were not present had only to study the newspaper reports to obtain an almost, equally clear idea of the scheme. Ib will, therefore, not be "the fault of the Board if, when tlie day of the loan poll comes round, the ratepayers are still in doubt as to their duty. The plan of the meetings provides that each district within the tramway area shall be visited, and under this arrangement the ratepayers will have the Board's proposals laid practically on their doorsteps. If, under those cir-* cumstances, they do not take the trouble to study them, they deserve either to be without tramways at all or to be condemn-* ed to a life-long, purgatory of an antiquated service. ii > '■ <