PAYING THE PIPER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1477, 27 June 1912, Page 3

PAYING THE PIPER.

'-- ■■■■ r -<p • W'ADESTO'WN CARS. When ilie .Wadesjo'v-n; traiiKsaj! was first uioo.tp'tl■ -tli.o- jrM'e'n'a.V-C.rs a'gre&l .(p bo vatod iiv oi any. loss \\;',liirh liijfjiit bo incurred. in (In- ivorkiiij: ci' the line— ami a. 10.-" va-: predicted—awl oil th-at 5i 11 (1 erst;sistliiip Iho tramway was constructed. A-> predicted. tluie Jia.- been a loss, aii'd. to :nra];c tfiat f:end : a 'itljo lijll lias been to; Uie. ratepayers o'i' \V;ulo>huvn, liffic bill which cnuipiiled ;'t i l-::d. in tin! on Ihe raffial'ilp value of all property within the s(iceial. rating:, pa'o.a .iiciinr'ii . for 't.l.ic' purprike .of mccti iig v siicli:.. a. c.oiitinfjbi'i cy h-is W6jr arisen; The liVtlo bill i-eferreil to lias rathciv-staggenKl ■tjiii' \V:a<ipf't : .o\vi.i. people '•'lid yesforilaj; a (k'li'.ilatiou from the t!i>ti'ict, 'coji'sistiii)? of ,Messrs. Martin. Chapina 11, K,(., i'anvo!] ('coke, E, Wy.lie, an-i W. It. Morris interviewed 'tho Finance Comniittoo ot'' tK6 City ;Coiineu with; .tlie object of obtaining some .iiieasiire- of relief from 'thfe burden by tli;e new rate. ■■■ 1 ... . ■M r. Cooke said that .the; Wades.tdwii people.had r.o wUh in lcpndinte tlie understanding previously arrived at with, r-epard to the guarantee 10.-'f oil their fr.amjvay.. b'u't t!iey -found themselves: in such' a position -with regard io their rates tlui! they considered they hail: s.ijm'e. claim oil the (•.arporatioh. for a fiftio relief. The' offpct.nf iiio new 4 l-ltd. imposition was. practically to double their rates, and plus that, they .were faced with tho extra IWI. rate for water s.iippiy and drainage,; .'fhis'w.as- a Serious, burden;. Jlq. submitted this aspect, of (ho c.a>e: The credit iwlanco from .their districts ge'ri.oral revenue., \vas ~£92B—fortbat they ,received nr. consideraTiori 1 . Yet they "were taxcii: for the 'loss- bit' 'their' tramway. In mother won!?, they were asked to pay a. deiicit on. the one hand, arid to let the city take .tho-credit; from their general revenue. ;H.e.. submitted that 1 tho imposition of ;tfie:se,. burdens would place a serious hardship upon tlio disIrict—it would, metaphorically siitjskiiis,. str a n glqr'.Stho: '4 c Should Capitalise the Loss/ Jfr. "\Vylie said that it had been e.=tiinated;.:i ; hat...thg:. loss; ;oe the. tramway would total about ..£IOOO a. year; when, .kbit matter; of fact, tho rot arils for the poriod .showed conclusively that Hie...loss, would be. nothing like that.'' He claimed that the. line was entitled <0 soiiie crpdit for thes.rcveuiio.; on the length of track from the Hotel Cecil to Park Street, anil suggested that ail inv.eUig.atio'h.... of: tliu reveniie-frpin:'fliat petition' would 'show that %<?-. Wadpjfcwit •lih.ei w'aS. actually less than -slated:. Tiw speaker also pointed- out (hat it 'was tlie custom in railway enternri.-es -(.';>' "write iip"*Ui? first two or three. years' l<Y--s to capital, and suggested'''ithat:. a fiinij.ai* course might be. adoriM! ...with regard, to the Wadestowiiflihe/'iaiVi^.^ bo levied upon the district, which could square .matters.; S.lien; the' ;line- v 'hegaH. to pay, as it. tuiHoubU-illy would.. . Mr. Martin':, Chaiinian said . tliat tho . councili;*.cojtJdj-(riot';^yith...; fairness ascertain whether-the-criterprisc' was ii paying of balancing;,, tho; "aiiif expenditure. They should..'iilsoivtako liiito ■ ■a'.ccMi.it the prospective increase in revenue fraih 'rateslevied upon property, the' rateable -v'a.luo of which would show - uii increase at tlio next valuaHoriT-'i^ should, in /all- be jittrißtitea . tqthe far as lie personally wa« conceriied--and ;li3 was . not alone in his property .wa.s ;iiot |>oiiefiled by llio.trainivay, as fhere wa.i (<inal : ly the Ivarori tramway..- 'l.lio fii-raner l coiv eluded wiili. the.'Vngtrestiari ..that thc-'.-lbSs-should .'bo";';eaptalis'eU'-.''OT period (w;ith3ntevest;'i(idcil', : .but;Bp tali=ed), ; ;aiitl- ,sfi.6iit-cl' :Bb payable, when th'o"."Urani'iv^-;i>aicl'-.'its'j;-.-'■ *■.' ■ The Mavor's Reply. In reply, the Jlaycr (Mr.. I). M'T.arpn) said that • .€2OO of ios.3 had brrn charged . to. i the'vioity.' scrvico .IpiVpir'JtliH.ycar. Tie reminded the depiituiion tliiit it had tho district that/it. was net at al! likelv (hat their tTaimyay.;..^ and that kriowine (his, (hey .linderbnk the obligatioif'rfct; ■ the loss.V v-A's/'^o'tli'cv.-. sectjbii'. .-.fr.o.i'ir' Hotel Cecil to Park Stree.t, there was no credit, lie. their represenfaii.ciw w-oitld • bo" considered.