DISCUSSION BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1179, 14 July 1911, Page 6

DISCUSSION BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

EMPHATIC PROTEST. "UN WAKEANTABLBINTERFERENCE" When the-proposofl' regulations wore mentioned at last night's meeting of the City Council, Councillor Fletcher asked the Deputy-Mayor who had handed a copy of tho regulations to the press after it had been agreed in committee to freat the. document as confidential. The Deputy-Mayor said he had taken upon niinself to give a copy of the regulatious to a representative of The Dominion. That was at 11 p.m., aiid Thk Dominion reporter was the only one who approached him on the matter. Ho could say nothing as to anything that appeared elsewhere. Ho took it upon himself to use his authority as Deputy-Mayor, because ho thought it was in the best interests of the city and the Dominion as a whole that these regulations should be made public. Councillor Fletcher did not think the regulations should have been given out to one paper and not to others. They should have been given to all if they were given out at all. ' The Mayor said he was quite prepared to fake, any censure the council might think Qt to put. Ho felt very strongly'on the matter. Councillor Fletcher: "We are all afc one on that, but that is not the point." Regulations Recalled. Ccnospomleiiee laid before the council showed that the draft regulations were first, forwarded to the council, with a covering letter, on July 5, and received on July 7. In the final passage of its letter the Department irofiiestcrt that the matter should be regarded-as confidential, and asked that any "remarks or suggestions" should he forwarded before Jiilv 31. . On July 10 the Town Clerk, Indirection of the Tramways Committee, wrote requesting that tho "confidential" restriction should be removed, as the council desired to discuss tho''business at its next meeting. On July 13, the following reply wns received from the IJudcr-Secretary for Public Wprks:."Iramediatoly on receipt of your recent letter, wherein you asked the Department to withdraw the confidential restriction as regards these regulations, I submitter! the matter to tho Minister for Public Works by wire, and ho now directs me to inform you that, unless your council is prepared to state, any objections it may have, to the regulations confidentially, the copies of tho draft regulation aireadv scut you by the Department should be returned to this office. If, therefore, Hie council ennnot regard tho regulations confidentially, will you please return them to this office accordingly. "(Signed) H. J. 11. BLOW, , "Undtr-Secretnry." Invited to Confer, The municipalities invited by the Wellington City Council to send representatives to tho conference which is to be held on July 21, are those of Auckland Christchuroh, Dunedin, Wanganui, Napier, Invercargill, Karori, and Jliramnr. lho Auckland nnd Napier Councils have been approached as the future owners of tramways. ( .The Deputy-Mayor said he did not thinkthere would be two opinions as to the fact that these regulations were going to hamper the Wellington tramway's and other tramways in fho Dominion! Tho council had before it (lie opinion of its electrical engineer (Mr. fc. Ilichnnlfon'i that, under the uev regulations, it would

bo impossible for cither the tramway managers or motoriiicii or conductor:; to know- what they were about. This was an attempt at legi.-lation by regulation, and tho atteui[)t was unwise. If the question, as reviewed by .Mr. Itichnrdsou, were submitted to any right-thinking engineer, he would agree that the proposed regulations provenied inunicipaltics conducting their tramways as at present for the benefit of the general public. "Simply Idiotic." Councillor I'letchev said he thought this was undoubtedly an occasion for a strong nml united protest. A number of the regulations were entire just, except for' the tact that municipalities had already parted with a good deal that probably belonged to the local authority. If tho regulations were given effect to, it meant that the tramway undertaking, now successfully conducted in Wellington, would become an absolute failure. Mot only would the reflations cause serious loss to the ratepayers, but many of them were simply idiotic, and ought never to have been sent out to the people who owned tramways. Concluding, Councillor Fletcher' moved:— "That, tho ■Wellington City Council enter its emphatic protest at the unwarrantable interference by the Government in connection with tho issue of regulations that will seriously affect

the working of tramways; and further, that united action be taion by a conference of the various tramway authorities shortly to be held, with a. view of eliminating or modifying the impracticable clauses in the" regulations, and that tho dale of such conference be July 21." A Forerunner of Confiscation. "To my mind this is but the second instalment preliminary to the confiscation of the whole of the municipal tramways," said Councillor Fitzgerald, who seconded tho motion.; He thought a united and strong protest should be made against what ho .considered unfair and undue interference by the Government. He believed the whole action was entirely wrong, and he felt sure the councils of the whole Dominion would unite and protest. Councillor Frost thought the resolution' was a step in the right direction. Ho failed to see that any such regulations were required, and lie felt that members of the House would never have allowed the Act to pass if they had thought such regulations would follow. The whole service would bo in a state of chaos if these regulations were given effect to. There must be some ulterior motive behind this move. He had his own opinion on the matter, and he thought it was with a view to the Government taking over the tramway services, and, if possible, to make them unpayable prior to doing so. The Government did not set the cities the best example in the running of its railways. On the old liotorua line passengers wore packed worse than on the cars in Wellington. Government First, Public Mowhere. Councillor Fuller thought the motion should be extended. They should ask that every mayor in every municipality in New Zealand should be asked to cooperate. Jlotueka misht want a tramway later. (Laughter.), The system in 3Sew Zealand appeared to be'the Government first, the city councils second, and the public nowhere. Legislation was so mobile in New Zealand that the people did not know where they were.

Councillor M'Kenzie said he looked upon these regulations as the most impractical parcel of regulations ever issued. Tho whole thing aimed at the foundation of municipal Government in New Zealand. If they agreed, to that, they were giving away the birthright of tho city. Tho alteration would cost the city about .8100,000, and there was no necessity for it. If the Government tried to foreo this matter the'council'should defy theni, and pay tho fine. Tho scheme was absolutely unworkable and a f'ai-ce. It .showed the little knowledgo tho framers of the regulations had of tramway matters. He agreed with Councillor Frost, (hat the Government finally intended taking over the trams. "Daylight Robbery," Councillor Atkinson agreed with the Mayor , that the regulations were a species of steal aiul daylignt robbery.. Tho regulations would mean tho expenditure of somo .610,000 and tho increasing- of the lares. The pet clauso was that m'regard to tho conductors providing a movable step for passengers'. Councillor Atkinson proceeded to picture the scenes that would occur on Lambton Quay. He was amazed at tho moderation of the Government. They might have ordered hot water bottles and nurses, and have added that if the Minister fer Public Works was a passenger a bath chair and an illuminated address should bo provided, with perhaps a halo thrown in. The one redeeming element about this monstrous proceeding was tho farcical element about it. The one redeeming' element in this tyranny, he repeated, was that it was tempered by tomfoolery. Councillor Barber expressed his surprise that tho Government should bring down regulations like those under discussion, which would hamper enterprise. He could not conceive of tho Government wishing to take over the tramways. They had their hands full in tho public works at present. At tho.same timo ho thought a strong protest should bo made. Tramway Men Opposed. Councillor Jl'Laren said ho had discussed tho regulations with tramway men, and ho felt convinced that not only tho council's of New Zealand, but tho whole of tho tramway employees throughout the country • would bo opposed to. Ibis contused bundle of regulations. They regarded tho step'proposed as an absurdity. Ho could hardly believe- that tho Minister had ever seen tho regulations. Hβ believed rather that they had been drafted by an officer who had an insane desiro to clutch everything. There was a gross breach of faith with Parliament in these regulations. But for the repeated assurances that the idea was to safeguard life and limb, the Bill would, ho averred, never have gono through tho House. There was strong ground for suspicion, to say the leait of it, that tho Government contemplated taking over the tramways. Ho joined heartily with the protest and he would exercise any power ho possessed to influence the employees of the country. Councillor Cameron thought the proposals were almost too absurd to consider. It was the duty of the council and every other council to hit what had been weil termed "a hydra-honded monster" with a sledge-hammer. Tho regulations would mean the expenditure of a large sum of money, the increasing of train fares to nearly double their present size, and the increase of rates.

Councillor Uodber thought the regulations ■aero monstrous and iniquitous." No language of his was strong enough to express his disgust at them. The motion was carried unanimously Power wns given to the Deputy-Mayor to call a public meeting on .the night of July 21.

A deputation representing the council is to wait upon the Acting-Prime Minister to-day at 11 a.m. to protest against the adoption of the regulations.