KARORI TRAMWAY PROPOSAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 568, 24 July 1909, Page 10

KARORI TRAMWAY PROPOSAL.

. Sir, —I :trust tho ratepayers of Karon will ■ give their most sorioos attention :• to the proposed" extension" 'of-tho present tram to -■■■„ Alatara Hill. ; The total number of rate-

payers in Karori proper is 250,-. and. theso arc already responsible for- £4000--thoir i> . share of the * borough's indebtedness.- -The V' - proposed-extension is estimated to placo a j ■ iurther'burdon on these 250 ratepayers of at ; ,'lcaat - £27,000. -Tie indebtedness of 'the J-,, v!; Karori ratepayers will then, assumo tho , ? ; alarming, total of £268 per head. Compare this with tho liability of tho ratepayers in tho city of Wellington, with their manifold ''',/. advantages, and whoso liability per head is

£225. . L - -.Kv-ri -It ia: admitted by the most: ardent sup- : porters■ of tho proposal that tho extension ■ " will not pay, hut we aro informed .the loss s;if.. * will bo • minimised ■by the returns.from tho -recreation grounds,' which tho: .proposed extended tram 1 will feed.,. -.- Tho . suggested

faro from :: the Government -Railway .Station > .to:'-{he'"-ireoi i eaiioii-.-groaDd is 6d., and tho estimated time for doing the trip.is 35-to 40 ■». w: minutes. Is either; the. high faro or a . big pieoo out of tho Saturday afternoon likely to prove, an ( inducement to eager athletes,; • particularly when; M-rramar grounds do not: .i - ' draw with a: 3d; faro and' a 30 -minutes'

jotirney? 1 -,: : Again, assume that the Karon Recreation Ground is going to attract a crowd m payable numbers-(it will bo the only mound : fe • . outside -Wellington which doos), how do the •- • council propose to carry ■ thorn to from tho ground ? By tho. proposed extension,-I- ---■: -.v (suppose. 1 - - Let ■us soe. .Tno loan asked for • . includes the cost ■■ of.- a cable .known las ~a 1 ,■ <;77-19/ which r cablo is; capable of .-carrying.,at, •' • tho most seven cars ln'the two total .. ■ 420 passengers. It will thus bo .seen-, that-i^vC&vevjm^iWhp-rtoreat^ri.teromdiat^ ,'. in - payable quantities, > .the , suggested plant, '' . * will prove , inadequate:.. to carry them. ,Wo i: - ware informed that the. mam tramway Urom :.tho. oity to tho cemetery was going to m- ( • - -'• croaso tho population of Karori - somo : thousands.- -;The population -tci-day is 1200. 'f Tho same old:story, is,.bouig again_spread by - ■ a and friendly. Kn-ron .tribe 1 called'"syndicators." Tho present tram-way - • '6ystem .finishes at the cemetery, the extonx; - j'Sioii, l if . cairried, will .probably end in the •Bankruptcy Ccrart.—l am; etc., - REASON Karon, July 21. ;...-:'.:o;'.vSir,—The ratepayers who .oppose the: -pre-, 'Bant ill-consideied proposal are often vi charged with., selfishness,/ in that, : having ' v ' . obtained their lmo, it -is--unfair--, to- oppose.. '' the /extension. This might be - so, •if - tho .v- proposals. of the council. had boon at all ' ' equitable;. Th'oy.' are;. however; not rat * all so] as tho followmg :■ figures v-will > show:—Tlve ■ present tram—apart from the cost of roadr .i' r v .widening—costs the. ratepayers ■ (on ; a : .. given ->„:■ ■■■ area) convomint■ to its terminus, .375. 6d., ■... .-.'-in rates;.. whilst '.off •a :■ similar,- area ,at the 'other .end of; tho. borough the rate is only ..'3s, 9d.-';'Fiirther,._if. it wero.not for. tho loss 'incurred : in" running tho 'bus, there would . ilto' littlo br-no rate at all. .. Under tho crude proposals ..before.ius:^now,-.vratopayers , at' tho ' ' City -the borough will have their tram .".—.'irato ißcreased:to £12 10s. -for, tho same-area, ' whilst' those at '-the Hill end \Vill ■ only;bo called-upon to-pay 255. ,:-Tho ,coun-. :if,-it :were' ~ , : V:.,-«not', ; for.ithe.-,-loss incurred m running - the .j' tho.(tram;,as 'far; as.it:-goes, would not Inecessitate a lato at all now As the late- :. payers at the city ond are now bearing pr.ictically. the wholo cost or. running- Hhe.'bus,. ;. it'is hardly fair, to accuse them of selfish- ' :.'H(?ss if they refusd to increase , their burdens' m' tho- -mtorestg of- land ,- ■ . •,those: companies come, forward and guaran- ' too tho borough ■ against; at least, some part : ' \b?rthc..loss which- will. bo'incurred, tlies'e ■D : com'panies can ;havo -~their, tramway.—l -amy ' ' ' ' FAIR PLAY. < July 22. < ■■■: .^jSir^r-In : oofmection - with: tho $;ropo£<4t{. exi i irnsKm: of. - trailnvaya •; to would, a\> attention wthcfljtrge &'/■ 3aily^^', ; '^inredjV-^'^meefc ; ,i working' expense, of an avcrago • •'. 'fOTtyrniinuto, .-Eofyicoj.'id.aring. sixteen-';, hours, . overAtho, proposed-, eitonsidn -. (approxifoately • ono jmle _thTee-quarters), would-, cost' »■■■'(at .la.!,per,, car"mile),.four,..guineas \per. day ;to oarn this tho lino "would • Have to carry 672 passengorß, averaging ljd. each. Second; the interest on ;th6'. .loan,-- 1 towith fa. .1 \pca*' cent.:' sinkiiig r :'fuhd,-to-'; ;.r.---.-''taHmg-.51 per'-cont... amounting - to" £4 "2s/ ■ ,- IOJd per .day, would -require another : 663 passengers at the same valuo. * Third, assuming that 1 por cent, is al- -, ' lowed for depreciation,-: a further 120 passengora woulcl bo requirecL FurtKeir, considering the recreation ground" has'been instituted mainly .fbr,-. tramway traffic' pu-rposc6, '.it .'is only,roaspnablo that. loans; connected' ; with t{iem-should bp. a aginnst -.fund /for : the6ey ? tho ,' proposed'-' .'tramway :constru6tion loan,"'an'amount 'of '£1- . '.'.lfls..'- -day, ..still another 241. . pas-:; ;>;;%>M:;'reh{^rtare:?:reonrc3^ ),Wit!hout' going. mto tho question of up-: the J: inHhe e^age^ot,',lß96:V^ssengm^ .alo/re-. , ;■ -.qmrod; -per ~ dav vto moot the.. expenses '- in-, ; ;; .cwrrcd under theso heads. Ail ; average which ; ,>is- only, a'.-triflo; below, that 'of tho present • fed; to-a • Vilarge oxtent by tno cemetery trafio. . ... .. /! 'y -A' oloso. iscrutiny . of.'-tho. council's; pro-, .■, ..'iposal makes ■ ono wonder at the.- proposal :vbe- : : mg brought forward, assuming it to bo in . /-the interests of. tho ratepayers solely.—l ; .;^'SPam,''etc. 4 ';;v:i< - V , KABORI. \ July 22. . i ip,: : EXTRAVAGANCE. ' ■ ' 'Str,—As a resident of Island' Bay, will yon ' allow mo to protest through. your. Dominion jiM^V;against, il; the/'extravagant lighting : 'of . gas' and . electric lamps for; so many hours' -v V; ' Vr during the day, ;It is now 10 a.m., and both • ..are burning, full tilt- Surely . wo. bavo f to. pay for" all .tliis,' 'jiai3d : 4n'bad It's • . i!j>t oiily ono. day, but several.The arc lamps-were. buniiDg-.on- Sunday-last-' at noon; • : .aiid wo arb told by thoso who know," that ~ this sort of light is a costly. Our daylight is ;«wughKputihere,fif^^'it's..dark' in . . .'..'tho city.—l-am, etc., . v-;' I : July 22. THE SYNOD AND SIR ROBERT STOUT. ... "•• '•Sir,—;l aru .glad to soo• that Mr. Ostler jfif. v ]:takos ;ex6eptio3flx)'"^^'BMper's^"dispirag- :; ,;' ing remarks'. 1 Chief Justice, .Sir. Rob- 1 '.-:'-er.t Stout, arid moro especially to what..Sir; v,. Harper.-characterises as ::Sar Robert. Stout's, ' "quito extraordjna'ry, absolutely tmprovablo'.' ;5/-. v, v.v amongst the . State-. ~ i • educated as contrasted with orimo among tho : ..Church-educated m Now Zealand. : a; ..' v. ; \ jj ow g; r Robert -Stout, has. had ainplo op- •'•':■ it'portimity 'to.'' collect' useful arid', accurato in- • . : in this c'oimectionv 'He my own V : -'l'Ll®Svieflge. iMllcoted^useftHstatistics: on. ; ; this ' v,v; question; i-aiid jhe hss had thej.as'&istance' of- .' i- . -'expert statisticians-iii' dealing with it... Whel'" :;c; vther ihe and - his - have overlooked, any : factor that: might render their conclusions invalid I am unable to say, but : this I know ,rV? fa. .'that'..Sir Robert Sfo'ut his publicly affirmed 'that l :schoo]s ,^rodace.'..bnly ''half : .as •, many criminals.as our Church schools. Any- . ono can readily '.'understand that a jiidgo koep- . - ing a careful rtujord. of juvenile crimo for a r ; ,!;lteiod of "five,,or 'ten 'years'.could >'corifiderico on a matter of this kind. ~ ; '• Apart,. however',- from the question''.-of..the. relativo .contributions'.to ..criminal statistics :'of • ! Stato arid of Church schools, it is surely'not .' .without some Significance...that tho..Churohes which arp: most energetic' intpro-vidirig-. .rei* Kgiou's instriiotion for. their- childrenare . credited in .the official:Statistics;:of .thp Do- ; minion with a "quite extraordinary'- majt>rity of our onminals. -Tho Catholic Church, ... representing 14 per'ccnt. of tho'population, is ;j ! .: credited with' 34 pel" cent, of thp crime! The : Church of England, representing'4l per cent. , bf," tho population-,-.is , credited -with' 46. :per . • • cent-:.of tho.crimo! In other words, tho two . Cliiirches that keep persistently, canvassing' , •. tho claims of a rei&ous (drid4eeitorian)''edu-.' cation 'roprosont So per cont. of -the k popiila-. tiori arid' 79 per, cent, of the crime 1 The other Churches- (non-Catholic and' non-Episcopal) - represent 45 per cent, of tho population and j*nly '21" per"cent7~of tho. enmo. Thesa figured

surely mean. . something. Can Mr. Harpor suggest 'an explanation of tlieir 1 ugly, and "quite extraordinary" character? Ho is' not likely to suggest that the official tics are -'faked,''. or that criminals habitually ''false declaration's as to their religion, without also suggesting palpatio reasons for .his Suggestion's;-.; T do not for a moment suggest that religion of itself fosters orime, but I'firmly maintain /that religion, unaccompanied by a sound education and a rational moral training, is of .yery little.valuo'in,preventing crime.: Ignorance and bigotry,/ wo know 'too well, have been/,throughout the ages . responsible for extraordinary" crimes; and, . unfortunately, ignorance and bigotry have too .often been associated, both in Protestant and 'Catholic times, with what claimed to be accredited forms of religion.—l am, etc., ;

MODERNIST. July 18. Sir,— Mr. Ostler, writes in' opposition,,to those who think that Sir Robert Stout's repeat extravagant statement is not bo taken'seriously. .But. ho ruins_ his,, case by. defending a watered-down version of . the statenient, although 1 surely -tho reported words are' available; Then,with' this, version in -hand, ho finds fault 'with Canon Harper's description ot ■ tho : original statement. Tho desonption, however, ■ was accurato, and is in- iio ivise disproved by the Canon's critic. Sir .Robert Stout' will be given an oppor■tlimtyj.i of "defending ' his own' statoment,; or of admitting his inability by v silence, or other moans;.il-As.^tho- statement. _WSs.,- reported, ■ it'certainly .deserves'the,doscriptioH Sir .Robert: applied to cortain utterances of Bishop Nolir gan: "False, absolutely false." >.And- here, too, is not Sir Robert trilling with 1 words?: It is more than probnblo. that. Bishop Neligan' means';..one ,' thing' : ;!by : ',"''paganism,": gnd Sir Robert quite another. : -,-

As for criminaJs returning themselves as: 'bemg mombors'.'of'the '.'Anglican - v or Roman churches,-. all I: can say: is;.- that criminals are welcome. Has he not heard tho Salvation, Army sing m the \,streets:""The drunkard may come, tho swearer may come, etc;"? The Church does not, however, "produce" criminals. Her desiro is to reform :them',-; _but if they will. not listen, there is no compulsion, nor is it dosirable there '.should'dje.- ..Doubtless', the wild''• tongues of the statue enterVtheir-names on the.census papers aa, belonging, to some religious body, although they never a house of. prayer.* So;- with- the criminal class. They: abandon roligion; ■ and ctoiiot be called the product' of Christianity. Mr. Ostler should pursue' his investigations further, and find out the truth./.about ' the' descriptions: of; * prisonfera;; r am afraid, if I continue further, it may bo thought that I am .taking Sir Robert' seriously.'myself;— 2 'ata, : etc.,..-K~ ' '£■, PHYLAX. July 23, 1909,