CHARLOTTE STREET TRAMWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1059, 23 February 1911, Page 6

CHARLOTTE STREET TRAMWAYS.

y. THE POSITION EXPLAINED. There seems now every-prospect that, a period may be get at au early date'to the : long delay that has occurred, in connection with the widening of . Charlotte Street, and the laying of the corporatioa tram-line through' that thoroughfare. A peculiar'feature of the position is that, the Order-in-Council, under which th( construction of the Charlotte Street tramline was authorised, expired on Septembei 30, 1908, and has not been renewed. - ' , ■ Questioned upon the point _yesterdaj by a Dominion. reporter, Mr. H. -J. HBlow (Under-Secretary to the Public Works, Department) stated that the Dephrtm'ent 'no' intention' of placing any obstruction in the way of the City Council laying the Charlotte Street tram-line. It remained, nevertheless;, an open question whether tho 'council" was . still- invested with'legal authority to carry out the work, since the Order-in-Council, as stated, had expired in The validity of such a position could be denpitely tested only in the Supreme Court. • Applying later; to the" Mayor, the reporter received a definite reply. . "I expect," said Mr.- Wilford, that the Government will commence the work of cutting back the fence-line in Charlotte -Street bv Tuesday or "Wednesday next. I expect that they will have finished the work, including 'the road-making they have to carry out, in about three weeks from that time, and I hope that immediately afterwards, say a month hence, wc will be able to laying thfi rails in Charlotte Street." ■ : As to the matter of the Order-in-Conn-cil, Mr. Wilford stated that if necessirv the council would apply for. a fresft order. No 'doubt 1 the application comd be carried to -ji sufficiently advanced stage, while the Government was engaged in widening the, street, to enable- tho council to make a'.start on .the tramway at the end of the period lie. had named. ! Jfr AVilford added that the council was working amicably with the Minister Public Works in this matter, as it had done all through'in regard to the SydneyStreet widening scheme. ~