THE SUBURBAN AREA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 17, 15 October 1907, Page 6

THE SUBURBAN AREA.

SETTLEMENT IN THE HUTT YALLEY. RAILWAY NEEDS.. DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. Thero aro between Silverstrcam and Mungaroa, according to a computation by Mr. T. M. Wilfofd, M.H.R., a thousand persons ovor -twenty-one years of ago, and probably a total population of eighteen er . nineteen hundred. Land in the Hutt Valley that was said to bo worth £22 an aero five years ago was lately valued by the Government valuor at £200 an acre. These and othor facts indicative of progress in the Hutt Valley were placed before the Right Hon. the Premier yesterday afternoon by a deputation of residents and property owners of the district, and they argued that the time had como tor the Railway Department to give moro sulh stantial consideration -to the tripping aiK travelling proclivities of xue people of "Wellington and tho Hutt. .. ' STATEMENT BY MR. WILFORD. Mr. T. M. Wilford, who introduced the deputation, said that tho Railway Department niado a : practico of treating the country within a ten-mile radius of each of the four chief cities as a suburban area, and arranging fares', freights, and trains accordingly. Under this plan 'Wellington was worse, oil than any other, centre, because the line from as far. as Potonc was a water frontage, and tho benolit-of tho suburban area therefore began at'Petono and ended two miles further on, at the Lower Hutt, tho ten-mile point being between tho latter place and Belmont. No part of his constituency had mado such progress during tho' last I'ow years as the Upper Hutt district,'and if the policy of the Railway Department was to give suburban residents' cheap transit to tho city, he thought it was.time such advantages wore extended to tho Upper'Hutt. Workmen's trains had been running between the city and Lower Hutt for somo time, tho faro being 2s. a week. Lately workmen's trains had beon started botwecn Wellington and Uppci Hutt, but tho faro was 10s. a weok. This was prohibitive, and tho trains wcro practically a failure Tho first-class return fare from Uppor.Hutt to Wellington was 55., and second-class 3s. 6d. On Saturday a first-class ticket was'issued for 2s. 6d:, and; a secondclass ticket for Is. 6d., ■returning' tho same day. Workpeoplo were thus precluded fron settling in the district. Tho fares were ar absolute clog'and bar to settlement. Some of the Wallaceville people had found out thai they could savo fourpence by taking a roturi ticket from tho Lower 'Hutt'only. Tho fare; ■of a family/;of six going from Wellington te 'the Upper Hutt and back, at 3s. 6d. each, mado a good sum 'to pay for a day's jauni into tho country. Land at tho Upper Hut) was much cheaper than it was lower dowr the valley, and, if the railway fares wen reduced to a reasonablo rato, thoro woule soon be a largo population in that locality Summed up,, tho requirements of tho residents were—(l) An extension of tho suburbar area to twonty miles. This would bring it te tho foot of the mountains, and no furthoi extension would bo asked for. (2) Rcductior of fares to suburban rosidents and passengers from tho city. •' (3) Week-end tickets to be available from Friday night to Monday. (4, Day tickots' to bo available for returning or tho : following day.,:''. ;. OTHER SPEECHES. .Mr. G. Shirtcliffo said that thero wen thousands of people in Wellington waiting to get out into the country if they couk get cheap fares. If they wero enabled te do this, it would benefit tho Railway Do partment and the people. "" ' Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp, on behalf ,of.,,th< Wellington Acclimatisation Society, said.thai tho Hutt River and its tributaries'includee a very largo proportion of tho fishablo. waters of the district. Tho railway fares wore almost prohibitive to an angler who wished te enjoy a day's fishing at the, Upper Hutt Week-end tickets and day tickets, available, for return on tho following day, were desired. '~.',' ■■■■-, The Hon. Dr. Collins, M.L.C., Mr. James Brown' (a resident of tho Upper Hutt foi sixty-seven years), Mr. H. C; Gibbons, auc Mr. R. M. Simpson ( - also spoko.' \ •' Mr.. McCurdy said that ho had obtainec in one portion of tho district, in half a day, 317 signatures of, adults' to a petition whicl had been presonted in. support of the. requests of tho: deputation. If he had had time, he could have obtained 2000 signatures. Mr. Shirtcliffo said 20,000 signatures cmile havo been obtained in Wellington from people who wanted to get out into tho country. Mr. W. H. P, Barber', M.H.R., pointed out that Wellington was in a different. position to other centres in. regard, to suburbar area, becauso. it had only ono lino of railway while tho others haeV three or four. It was, therefore, fair to extend tho, suburbar area, along that ono line to twenty miles instead of : only ten. THE PREMIER'S REPLY. The Premier roplied that he realised the importance of tho matter laid before him and ho would look into it. The deputatior had mado out a very good case from then own point of view, but ho had to'considei other points of view besides. It might be argued that; other cities'with four lines o: railways, radiating from thorn had ■■ fort] miles of linos in the suburban area as againsl ten at Wellington, and yet if tho area wen extended hero, demands might bo made fron other parts'of the Dominion which it woule bo almost impossible to resist. Ho woule ,■ look into tho matter of tho week-end tickots and tho ordinary fares. He believed in rail ways preceding settlement, and ho, would.bi glad to accede to tho wishes of tho.doputa tion if be could dp so without being forcee to make similar concessions .elsowhoro. He would send a written reply to the membei for'tho district. Ho was pleased to loan , from tho deputation that their very charm ing district was' growing so rapidly.