BUXTON’S CORNER

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16734, 16 May 1922, Page 7

BUXTON’S CORNER

TRAMWAY SHORT CUT ABANDONED. REASONS FOR HITCH. Reporting on th© .proposed short cut j at, Buxton’s Corner the Works and Traffic Committee of the Tramway Board stated yesterday that it found itself in a difficulty. The City Council, through whose reserve the new road would run. had met the Committee reasonably with the exception that they had stipulated for a better road than now exists, but the Waimairi Council -under whose jurisdiction the load would be- stipulated that the board must maintain it for two years, a departure from the usual procedure respecting the taking over of new roads. “ The new road,” tho re}x>rt added. •• wil! be a. little shorter than tho old one with consequent, smaller maintenance in the future, and will moreover improve the district by increasing valuation, and thus increase the rate income of the county. Tho committee regrets that it has not received tho co-operation of the County Council to the extent that the circumstances, in its opinion, warrant. A greater difficulty is. however, being experienced in consequence of the attitude of the owners through whoso proj>ert ies the new road would go. Their estimates of compensation required is very much in excess of the expert advice which the board has received, and recent experiences of decisions of assessment courts when properties have been acquired bv public authorities under the. Public M orks Act do not encourage tho board to adopt this method of acquiring the land required. Under all the circumstances of the cae© tho I committee is disposed to recommend that the project he abandoned.” Tho report was adopted.