THE TRAFFIC TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2183, 23 June 1914, Page 6

THE TRAFFIC TUNNEL

WSim MEETING

RETENTION Of THE SCHEME

ADVOCATED

OTHER REQUESTS

TiVMity-three peo-pb attended last night's meeting of '"ratepayers east if lUouut Victoria," which was held in tho Kilbimie- Schoolroom. The meeting had been convened by the hilbirmo tfateliayers' Association, ami was presided over by Mr. j. J. Usrko, the- president ot that body. The chairman said that there wero three matters iu the loan proposals which were recently put before the City Council that vitally attested this district. . First earns t!ie tun Viol, which, tho association regretted, had been cut out of the proposals, 'iho associatiiui did not wish to criticise the proposals wiiieii affected other suburbs, and not I KHbirnie, Tire other two mutters wero j that of tho tramway connection to lifik ! up Nowtown wiih tne ivUtol'iiiij sjswm, and that of the ivilbiriiic recreation ground. The chairman then citll&d en JJ'r. E. H. .Fisher to speak wi tiw'tuaiiel question. Mr. Fisher said that,tho original idea | was So put,the tunnel through'at liison Grove, but s«hsafi;w.ntty the route was i put Uirougii at Pil'ie Street, which en* 1 tailed a sov-ero pull uphill. Than tho ■ tußßol was made su narrow ttiat a footpath was not provided. Mad there boon ■ a footway Ilxe preseiit congestion oa tho tram-cars could have been avoided. Hβ thought, that the City Comieij should! remeiuUer these things, and he Hiaved: "That this meeting of ffitepnyers strongly sirgss upon tho City 'Oeuaeil the desirability of reinserting the tmmel scheme in the loan ; schedtfles/ . Mi. L\ Ga.ivin seconded the motion. .Mr. H. M'Lcod, formerly Ma.y-6r ot Miramar, said that' to leave oat the turiael was to leave out one of the most conUßercial projotits in tiio loan pi'opofinls, for Kitbirnic had a deal of tot iaiui, and skonld liavo a good industrial futiire. Tho lnotiflu was carried witiwut dissent. Constable Street Tram Extension. The chainnan tben eaid that opinion was fairly evenly divided o« tiio .tram connection yitestoon as to tiio tuattflr of route. ■ Holms thought tho canueotiflg link (should s'uii aloflg Wellington itead, aud others favoured Crawford Hoad. hlo 'asked My. M'Wad to speak ou flier subject. -Mr, A. A. George, presides* of tho Kewtown. Pi'dgi-Gssive Society, said that persistent requests had hecn.made, for an estimate at the cost of running cars down Wellington Head, and they liad been as persistently refwaed, Mr. George's opinion was that tlio Crawford Mc-aci rolila would be too <ssjwais{vo tensidcring tho bcucfita which wotild accrue. He thoii.giit the estimate Jer t'iie rente was ife.26,000 or £jtT,Oi)O, and fas believed it was iormeriy ■ cstiinjited to cost £30,000. Ho cotiid not understand why there siiould be such d.iscs'e.paiwv. Tha Cfawfofd Jtoad route vra? adyocated jksv to fiaost ii[) Aiaramii. it was to carry tiio holiday traffic. And would the holiday traffic make tlio litte pay '1 (Voices: Js'o.) The autlwrities had eudeavourod to throw dust in tho ICiibiruie people's eyes, hy adding ro the oxpected cost the expense of Hiliiplieatdiisj portion of -tlsj preseßt H»h>, aii underinking which wa« already provided for cUcwhenr. He believed that the grade on Wellington Jkad was stifetliauflio grade on Crawford Koacl, but lie thought that the grade could bo cased. {Applause.) Mr. JP. G. Easson, of KilMrnio Boeth, said ■that tho Crawford lioad route would suit .people in his district bettor thin tho Wellington Hoad route. Certainly, tlio Crawford Roiicl griwl© was tlio better. Ho argued, also, ttiat wlriie ■ tbo population wflukl iii the litfare htcreMe consifferably si SoatJi KillnrßJo, there, eould iwt; bo any such great in* croaso at tho foot of Wellington Iteai, Sir. A. C. Blake agreed with air. jlassoii. He said that at present people travelled hy Cra«fo*d Koiid. Welluigton Road route was too steep. Mi , . 0. J. Lovett favoured <felayiiig tlio cons.tnictiwi of a connecting "line until the council had proved, by tais ser- . vicc« down both m: oit.h&r reads,, tljat there was Miffidenfc traflic to warrant the tram-line exteaston. Ho tlieught. that the. meethii; should not vote for eiUier route, but should ewleavour to get another tumioi put through, _ Captain H. V. Muni-o undorscd fjiis ; view, and adetod tliat acceptiflg cither rauto as a_ train connection wooid mew--1: result hi slielvint; tlio st-beuie foe « fresh tunnel.

! The thainaan explained that the a.ssanation did jwt—aiid cmjld »et—favour cither route, but wished to demand Vii estimate for the Wellington Heart rente. They could, moreover, have tlio question of which route put before the ratepayers. Mr. t*. Worth suggested dropping the ■car route question and caßecutratiii" on tho tunnel scheme. Mr. A, A. George Moved that the question of routes should bo put bofere tfw ratepayers to.vote on. "ftowtewii, litond Ifey, ajid othor people (ho said) I aa'd now to go through Gotortenay Place to get to ItiiWrnie, and in fighting far the timuel KiHjjniie must u<?t overlook the: rigbts of others. Captain' Munro moved as an nmeadtoMit tliitt liotli tram-line extension '■ scheme* sliotihl Ira dropped, aiul that the reinstatement of the tumid spheroo sjionkl b<? asked for, On the 'suggestion a. 1 Air. Lovett, Captain Muaro added to bis proposal that motor-buses should bcM'iui over the routes. This was seconded by Mr. Julias'and carried. Another amendment, favour* ing a, tram wninectioa aJoiig Crawford lioad, was defeated. City Comiojilor Iα M'Kenzie arrived as this stage, and stated that the tunnel schesae was. not deleted, as some seemed to tlrink. The siiaivfl!.aii: Well, shelved;' and that I suppose is the Srsl step towards deleting it. Councillor Jl'Kenaie: No., iwt «ym shelved.'' Councillor M'Kaiaie sabsc■quently explained that tiioqnestioii was merely 'held over to see if a loss expensive- entrance oii tho city sk'e coakl lie discovered. KMBfrnie R-esftrtto. The question of tile recreation ground was' then di.?ciissocl. On tlits motion of Sir. W. A. Millpr the siicc-tiiig express-, or] extreme satisfaction with "the worl< dww already, arid ji hope t)iat jltc j £]8,000 placed on t3ie Estimates would •he iitlncatod to the reserve. j '■ ) ! j j j i l