HATAITAI'S NEEDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 801, 26 April 1910, Page 5

HATAITAI'S NEEDS.

RATEPAYERS' ASSOCIATION. A largely-attended meeting of the Hataitai. 'Ilatepayere* Association . was !.' ■ held last evening,' Mr. Leigh Hunt pre-! siding. -..-'•''• i . '" ". * "; The committee's report stated that, ;al-. ■-'. though it was only three months, since' the formation of tho association, many matters, of local, interest had "engaged v their attention, and several local wants had been supplied as a direct result of ' the committee's labours. '•' The question of low pressure on the higher levels had been prominently brought before the 'authorities, aid as a result the com- , 'i mittea were: confident that .steps would : ' portly, be taken', to remedy„'„the present. ■! unsatisfactory'state of : affairs by:—'(lity .' Constructing a' storage' tank in an elc-.: . vated ' position between Waipawa and! Kainui Eoads, and (2nd) replacing cer- :■.-.>.-. .tain'.:' small, temporary ; service pipes':. . mains.: The large' storage reservoir'now. in course of construction on Mount Vic- •

toria would also be available for Hatai-, -i tai, at least for fire, purposes,'if.the prosent negotiations of tho committee were •■ successful. ' The laying of 1 main eewer* ! was now in course of completion, and the committee-had'the engineer's assurance that the service would be extended . to the bye- roads .as early as' possible}. . The committee had been advised by tbo. City Council' that the following res'olu- ,"■■ tion would be given effect to:—"That th« Melrose drainage connections be made; on,the deferred payment system in cases; : of necessity (only), each application be- ' ing treated on. its merits, the advances to be at tho rate of 6 per cent, for five ' ■ years." As a'result of the committee's negotiations, fire alarms were' to be erect ed at the following places-.—Boyd's Store,corner Arawa and Hataitai Roads, and corner Huia Koad. ,Tk>' committee.had made further, applications for'an: alarm* '•' to be erected in Matai Road. 1 The committee had so far been unsuccessful ■la •' \ obtaining an assurance that the -foot--' . paths .would be. asphalted, but were hope-.-ful that as a result of their continuous ."■' representations at least some '. of -the '•'■:'■ niain streets would be attended' to in tho hear future. . The committee. had been' V successful in-"obtaining a': five-minutes' , ' service from Kilbirnie between' ; 6.3o' p.m. ' and 8.15 p.m. on Saturday evening, when- ■■ ever the traffic warranted it. "■ Reference was also made to the deputation which " waited in the City Council in regard to' pedestrian,traffic through the tunnel; : The views of Mayoral candidates i had been -sought on the tunnel question; Mr.. Crawford wrote that the' original schema " for tho city with their"dis-? trict, prepared by himself, with the lid of Mr. J. E. Fulton, C.8., some: thirteen : years ago, would have started at the intersection of Elizabeth and Brougham btreets, commenced to rise by a reason--able grade, gone as High.up.the valley of V ' Mount Victoria as possible, then tun- ' nelled, and come out at the brttom of:-'■-the gully which used to run down, to the " head of Moxham Avenue This' ' ' gully had now either been filled up by : what seemed to him the present idiotic' . tram scheme, or .it had been built, upon. If-tho original scheme had been carried out they could have had all that thev now ---' required-for very little extra cost, "for a ■'•:■'•' vehicular, tram, ,and pedestrian tunnel '■':'■ like that at Seatoun cost .£100(1 per chain.'. : and the present Kilbirnie tunnel - cost ■'-■•, £800 a chain. He thought that the city,' engineer should be asked to get'out alternative schemes to improve the present connection, and after they'had been considered with residents and others, h« .'■■'".'' ;would concentrate <m the scheme which,' whilst satisfactory" to- residents,, was 1 - -■' likely to be carried at a poll. To take ■ a poll within the next twelve monthe, without such preparation, might only be to delay unduly.if the poll were unsuccessful. Pedestrian .traffic should "be allowed when no trams were .running. ■Mr. Wilford wrote that he considered that the residents of Kilbirnie and Hataitai were entitled to consideration by the construction of a tunnel: for foot and vehicular , traffic, but' he did not consider that it should be constructed to f / the same height as the present tunnel,; -but to a half-circle half-height loop. He thought that pedestrian traffic should bo allowed through- the tunnel when the

trams were not running. The letters were, received, and it wai; | decided to asl; the City Council to hay* estimates prepared of the cost of a second tunnel for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It was resolved to apply to the Education Board for a.site for a school. The meeting expressed its hearty sup-' port of the pw-pct to extend the. tram-' way to ' Kosencath. ''■•' The following officer's were elected:—■; Vice-presidents, Messrs,. Seville, Moni«, and Fleming; committee, Messrs. W; M'Goldriek, M'Guire, /Mitchell, Penny, Cope, Dayfield, Greig, Gibbs,- Edwards,' and Kershaw; secretory, Mr.'J, C. Araig,