HAITAITAI TUNNEL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2442, 22 April 1915, Page 7

HAITAITAI TUNNEL.

PRESENT POSITION OF THE ' SCHEME.

Reference is _ made to the Hataital tunnel scheme in the annual report of the Ilataitai Municipal Electors' Association. The report states: — "It is now over five years since your association first intimated to tile City Council that the present tunnel would soon bocomo inadequate for tram traffic, and asked that it bo duplicated, or a new tunnel made. The prognostications of your association have proved correct, and although the trams are_ going through, the tunnel at something like one in ever}; two minutes during tho rush hours, it is not possible for residents on this side of Mount Victoria, to .travel with any degree of comfort whatever. In May of last year, the City Council approved of a loan being raised for a number of citv improvements, but the tunnel scheme was,, on the first- shuffling of the cards, referred back to the engineer, "to bring down a further report dealing with a proposed tunnel that will obviate cutting through private property adjacent to the Basin Reserve and inwards on the college grounds.' No doubt the intention, of the 'referring back' was* to side-track the work from the loan proposals. Your committee took immediate action and a deputation of residents of Lyall Bay, Kilbirnie. Roseneath, and Hataitai .waited on the City Council to urge the inclusion of the tunnel scheme in the loan proposals. Owing to tho war, the proposed loan haj never eventuated. It is interesting to note, however, that the City Coun- | cil have commenced a. word (referred to later) to be paid for out of overdraft, which, of course, will have to be paid off by loan sanctioned by the ratepayers, for the purpose of extending tho tram servico through • Constable Street ■to a- junction with the present tram service at South Kilbirnie. By this means the City authorities hope to cops i with the ever-increasing tram traffic to the south of Mount Victoria. ' It is difficult to see how this scheme will be owing to the fact that passengers will have to be carried sonio three-quarters of a mile further, and consequently take longer to reach the city proper. The further report has, if made, not yet been published, so that, your committee can only report a full stop to the tunnel scheme, a position brought about by circumstances over which they have no control, and a. position which, no doubt, will remain unaltered until such timo as the City Council is able to go on with loan proposals."