KARORI TRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 6

KARORI TRAMS.

PROPOSED EXTENSION OF LINE. '' . TO COST £27,500. '■ ; Somo Bovonty ratepayers of Karori attondod tho meeting in tho Bprough Council .Chambors last night to consider tho proposal of tho council to raise ' a ltfrn of £27,500, to bo spent on iho extension of tho olcctrio tramway liuo into tho borough. Mr. 0. Dasont (Mayor) presided, and all councillors woro present.

Statomont by the Mayor. . • Tho Mayor outlined tho proposals as follow; I Tho purposes for which tho loan was required wore :— . (l.)'Tho construction of .an extension of tho olcctrio tramway from' its present terminus, along the Main Road to tho junction of tho Main ILoatl with the South Karori Road, and . tho construction of ail' road work necessary for tho Bafe and eißciont working of the tramway, and for the protection of traffio on tho road. '■' (2.) Tho purchase and crection of a. stonecrusher with machinery and storage bins for tho preparation of' ballast required on tho lino. The sum proposed .to bo borrowed was £27,600, of which it was estimated that £25,050 would bo required for tho tramway and works incidental to its construction, and £2450 for the_ stone-crusher, and- appurtenances. . Provision would bo made for repayment of tho loan by means of a sinking fund of £1 per cent, per .-annum , of tho amount of tho loan during its currency. It was proposed to. secure tho loan and interest and sinking fund ,by a; special'rate. to be levied ,on all rateable property witliin tho borough.- .The estimated: amount ot the rate was one penny and one-fifth in the £ on tho unimproved- value of the rateable land. It was proposed to pay out of - the loan the cost or raising tho loan,' and the interest for the first year. In moving that approval be/given to the proposals, the, Mayor said that the estimate of Mr. Stuart Richardson (city electrical engineer), , for overhead equipment was £10,910, the . items, Deingi-HJablea, £31700;: overhead feeders; £2300; overhead construction, > £2750; stops and signs, £40 ; "track'aro' fighting l £600, track telephones £200, boosters £1300, clock,, including wiring, £20. The pennaneht way' was. estimated by Mr. W.. H, Morton (City Engineer) at £7619. This did not 1 include , the'ballasting of the line.. The .item.' of. metal -. was- £2400—8000 yards at 6s; -per yard: . That was estimated i at the price the council'could put it on the road with'a crushing plant (£1500) and steam .wagon- (£850);- The quarry from which it;was proposed -to excavate:-the stone, was on the publio park. The: cost of - the metal 'without that machinery . would be 10s. 6d. per yard, and 8000 yards-would-.'cost £4200.-'-If' the machinery were obtained, the ballasting of the line ■ would cost. £550: more than that, and they -would- then have plant costing £2350,. Allowing for depreciation;- they-would' have £2115 worth of plant, so that the borough.would make about £1650. Two shpds would cost £50 each', and road-widening for a few fehains fromi .opposite "the park Gown nearly to the terminus was estimated to cost £150. The cost oij raising the- loan would be, £150, a 'little over. J per cent.' Ho hoped to 'do away with this item, although' this was the rate paid* previously.' :The proposals were based .on. an",interest charge of 5 ; per cent. : and a sinking fund of 1-per cent. Tho amount had; bben. estimated at the current market prices; interest and sinWng fund £1620,-con-tingencies and. supervision: £2201.The estimated. cost, of running the.servioe was based: (m the eost.'.ofj,the ..present line. The distance. were "practically the same—lj r miles. 'He .proposed that half of -the present service should he run upon the extension, phis 42 extra trips weekly. Hat would be a2O and 4&minute: service; allowing extra" oars on Wednesday, "Saturday;: - andr Sunday afternoons. cost'oferurining.'foi- the first year .was £2500,' made up as 'follows--341188! parr,i«iles.at;ls.,'-;£1709.;i60fi, car-miles at| Ss.:i i£69;-.plus ;42 'extra'i tripsf, ivebkly,7644,mi1es at Is.', £382: ,arc light, i£l4s; re-', carbon&ing and renewals ,of ; arc, .lights; £20; ' bthor jrenewalsifi.£l4:; • repairs - to.'' permanent • iivay,.. s'B2,;, tickets, ;s£44; f public,;'risk; <£35:_ About. foTO .eHra'cars, would be run, daily, and fk. larger, ; riumber ; on. Wednesdays,,Saturdays;''and Sundays.' ..i ■- , 'v, \ Tho Earnings, y'.-''■■y'..

" 'Ab to earnings, taking as an average : that a fare ,anda, half over two/sections-was received from, every traveller, if 8000 passengers, were carried per Week on tho extension, thoy would • have 12,000 pence, ;or £26,000 1 pei\ : ,year. -On ithat,- basis the line would pay, with a; surplus of £100. With' 7000 passengers - weekly, the' loss wouldbo £264, v 6000'fare's,wotild,mean a bss of £576,' 5000 passengers would'be a, loss of £889; 4000 a, loss of.; £1200, ■ and 3000 , a i loss of £1512.!, It was not possible, for the borough to' pay any >, losses upon the> extension out of a surplus: on'the other line. „ The loans were separate,.and the revenue of the present tramway, after maintaining the service, must firsfc!of. all pro'vide'for.the replacement reserve and ■'■ then g'o • towards .relieving '? interest and sinking fund on . the line. After that, any surplus would be paid into the general, account. Tho' extension. had. to stand by itself. Whatever the J6sses, they would have to be borne by the general fund,,which was. limited to'.-lj'd.' in the. £ on the capital value of the i borough—£s2l,B4l. .: It was therefore limited 'to £3261. If there was no loss oil the linei, the ' borough would be doing good business.'? The. present, service had paid since its commencement,"with -the exception of two, weeks only. The public'debt of the borough comprised a £2000 loan for recreation ground improvement, and three-fifths of a city loan of £62,000. .It was';not the intention'of tho council, if the. loan were approved, to proceed with tho work for some time, probably not during 1909.. It would" most likely be oommenced in 1910, and should bo completed by the middle of the year. Therefore, as the first year's interest and sinking fund was paid out of the . loan, there ■ would be no rate collected'for interest and sinking fund until : the end of 1911. The .call" "upon the gerieral fund for'.losses (if any) would begin abdut the, middle of 1910, ana the call for interest: and sinking fund; would begin .towards the end of 19n.; Money was very hard to get at-the present time'; lie could, see no possibility of- getting tlie money three'months. ago when he tried to.do so. The principal object of the. councili iii desiring-'to havo the poll carried now was- to enable: that portion of the borough lying, on the Karori, side of Langster Street-to develop in the .'nest'; two' years', with the'kriowledgo that the tram was assured.. In order to {jet development, they must-have a tram serviC'e or. something better. Betwoen now and : 1910, two-thirds of the borough'would have an opportunity to develop; A large sporting traffic was; assured, and- they expected, to have twenty-fivo teams playing in ' th'e borough on' Saturdays nest year. - Further Discussion. Councillor Cathie seconded the motion, and said that ha considered it a direct breach of faith that Kelburne and l Northland had left the borough. Tho'Mayor was looking at tho v 'proposals lii their darkest light.: ■ Councillors .Raine and Hildrcth added "a few words in support of-the scheme. Mr. J.,: AV. Henderson (chairman of the Karori Ratepayers'.-.Association)'.'.said that it was misleading not to mention; in " addition to the expected losses on the' running, the £1650, rates to be levied. Tho rate for tho present, tram had been only 2s. ,6d.,. but-'the extension rate would be 10s.; four times as much, due to the diminished:area. '• In reply to Mr. Moore, the Mayor scid that the council had received no offers of financial help if rom any laiid syndicates, although'several of'them had been invited to contribute., The Mayor toldjanothor ratepayer, that ho would favour having the work done by day labour. Lines laid,in Wellington by.contract wero costing rather more, than, double, for maintenanco riJid repairs what tho services', cost which had beeniaid by day labour urder tho supervision of the City Engineer. After further .'discussion, tho motidh , was carried- by 29 votes to 22... The, Mayor an- ■ flouncod that the roll would c!oa<s on July 14, and a poll would bo taken on tho 28tli.