THE TUNNEL PROPOSAL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2198, 10 July 1914, Page 8

THE TUNNEL PROPOSAL

A BIG DEPUTATION

TO URGE THE IMPORTANCE OF . THE SCHEME

When the fortnightly meeting of the City Council commenced last night there were a- great many members of the public present as-a deputation to; tho council to urge the necessity of having the traffic tunnel scheme included on the loan proposals, shortly to bo placed before; the ratepayers. Wheal the loan proposals were first laid before t'he council they included a."sum of £70,000 for a tunnel through Mount Victoria, but this was missing from' the list at a subsequent date, and residents on the eastern side of the hill have been, much-con-cerned about the matter since. Meetings of ratepayers; were held, and the result was the: big deputation at the Town Hall last night. •" ' ■Mr.'TVW. Ward (Rosenoath), who was the first speaker, said that they had come to remind the council that the the traffic tunnel was -of urgent importance to the.people on the eastern slopes of Mount; Victoria. They were: there to ask that, the amount of £70,000 originally on the loan proposals for the tunnel should be replaced. The council was aware of the disabilities under which the people on the other side of the hill labouredjland it was a fact that the present tunnel was unable to cope with the heavy traffic passing through it. Five years ago no one could have prcdicted'that the-district would have developed iu the manner which it had done, and now the residents had no hesitation in saying that the growth of the district warranted the new tunnel. It duty of the council-to keep pace with development, and the.deputation looked confidently to the council to give' the' public of Wellington : an opporhmity of voting on the question. Hβ • pointed; out that the deputation ■came from a district where there-were between 7000 and 8000 votes, and in the near future that number would" be' doubled. s - ' '.'; '■''■■ ..,'.',■. ..'■■. ■' - ; :

Mr. J-. J. Clark (Kilbirnie), explained, that 'the deputations represented the whole district affected,' and '. would; have been very much' larger but for' the.unfavourabie weather. 'The residents.on :the eastern side of Mount Victoria had points on which ithey differed,, but they were, unanimous on-the Question of the .tunnel, and in their opinion it was the most imiwrtant.item oii the loan - proposals. :They wanted, therefore, /to urge that it bo replaced,".and not shelved. , The tunnel was an urgent lie-' cessity, and the. residents were , prepared to leave patters.of .detail; to the council as long as;they gol it. ;:... •; Mr.'R. Bouttell (Lyall Bay) also spbko in support of i the timnel. :' ; : ■"■'•'.■' ',; .-.The.Mayor.'(Mr. JI.P. Luke) 'inf9rmed the deputation that the matter would be considered by the council, an 3 the facts, weighed, very carefully. ''■ V :'■'■;"

Councillor, M. F." Luckie asked "the Mayor to assure the deputation that the proposal-had not been shelved, as there seemed to. be ; an .iinpression .to.' that effect.. ,''•' ..' '■'.-• '■ ' :'■■:'*■' ■■'..■.'•''.':•■■.'.

The Mayor, said he had not wished to commit; the council, but he gave the depiltatidn the ■ns'surance. that ttie' ques-tion-had-not. been shelved. It had been deferred owing; fa a , difference of opinion as to the route. '■' ■v ". ;: - : . : ■'•■

' The deputation then withdrw, t but the.tiinnel question'. was not'further considered last night- owing 'to : the meet-; ing coming' to an abrupt termination shortly,after 10 o'clock.: v;'.■.;•;' 'V'.'.-...-'.■ :v;