TRAMWAY POLICY OF CITIZENS’ ASSN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18290, 19 October 1927, Page 5

TRAMWAY POLICY OF CITIZENS’ ASSN.

TO BE DETERMINED AT GENERAL MEETING ON THURSDAY NIGHT. The policy of the Citizens’ Association with regard to tramway matters will be definitely settled when a general meeting of the members to-morrow evening considers the recommendations made by a general committee as the result of the report made by a special committee. Mr W. J. Sim, president of the Citizens’ Association, told a reporter this morning that at the meeting of the general committee

last night the-ques-tion of tramway policy was investigated at length, a sub-committee having been set up to report upon the matter. Upon this report the general committee formulated the association’s tramway policy. This is to be submitted to a general meeting of the association on Thus-

day evening, when it is anticipated that an interesting discussion will take place. « QUITE WILLING TO STAND DOWN,” HE SAYS. The announcement of the names of the Citizens’ Association candidates for the Tramway Board election caused considerable interest in the city this morning, and a good deal of comment was caused by the omission of the names of some of the sitting Citizens’ Association members. A suggestion that some of these members had been “ dropped ’* by the Citizens’ Association was denied by Mr E W. White, one of the present members of the board, whose name does not appear in the list of Citizens* Association nominees. “ I was quite prepared to serve,” said Mr White, “ but I agreed with the view expressed that the general feeling throughout the city was that there should be some entirely new representatives. I fell in gladly with that proposal, and while I was quite willing to serve, I am gratified to find, that they have been able to get men of sound experience. lam only too willing to give place to these experienced men.” Mr White added that the Tramway Board had many difficult problems to face, and the task of tl>e members was by no means as simple as many people imagined. So far as the laying down of a general policy was concerned, he thought it would be necessary to adhere to broad lines. Beyond that, whatever was done must necessarily be experimental in character. MR H. PEARCE WILL NOT STAND AGAIN. “ Oh, no, certainly not,” was the reply made by Mr Herbert Pearce, when asked if he intended to be a candidate for the Tramway Board. Mr Pearce said that he had given the Citizens’ Association to understand that he did not wish to be a candidate for the Board again. MEMBERS WHO RETIRE AFTER PRESENT TERM. Mr Herbert Pearce, who will retire from the Tramway Board at the expiration of his present term, is the oldest member of the board. He and Mr G. T. Booth were members of the board when it was first constituted, Mr Pearce having become a member a little in advance of Mr Booth. Mr Pearce was elected to represent the Linwood subdistrict on January 21, 1903, and he was elected chairman of the board on January 7. 1909, serving as chairman till June 29, 1911. Later, when the Linwood sub-district was merged into the central sub-district Mr Pearce continued as one of the representatives of the larger area. His service on the board has been continuous since 1903. In addition to his term as chairman, he acted as chairman during the absence in England of Mr A. S. Taylor. Mr A. S. Taylor, another of the retiring members, was first elected to the board in 1915. He was appointed deputy chairman in December, 1922, and about a year later was elected chairman. Mr E. W. White, the other retiring member, has served only the present term on the board.