WIDE STREET OR NARROW

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 51, 24 November 1926, Page 6

WIDE STREET OR NARROW

KENT TERRACE INQUIRY CONCLUDED COUNSELS’ ADDRESSES The Kent Terrace Reserve inquiry was cunrinuecl bviuis. Air. E. I'agc, ».aL, yvsieiuuy luuiuiug, when Alt. A. L Hutu (10l the oojeciuis; ami dlr. j U’Slleu (city solicitor) uenven-d tlieii lilial ailuicsses. Ine Alagistialc imi united that lie would report to tile Lui eiumelil as to wliellici oi but tile piu clamaiiuii asicuil tot uy tlie city Council should be issued. Air. hum said that the matter slioulu be field over lot the cousiueiatiuu oi the local town-planning board, wllivli would be set up in January next. llie question cd one-way trallic should be tally gone into. In conclusion, Mr. Hunt thanked the Magistrate and Mr. O'bhea tor tile courtesy they had shown linn, who, as a layman, was quite unused to court proceedings. Mr, U’bliea submitted that the evidence oi Councillor Huggins showed the process by wind) thinking members ol the council were converted to the scheme. He said the police evidence went to show that the number of accidents in the locality would be diminished if the liees were removed. Councillor Aston Carried Away. “Councillor Aston said the scheme would be a death-trap,” continued counsel “11 he thought that, be should have brought down the heavens befote n was passed by the council. Councillor Aston lias been carried away by the recent agitation.” Mr. O’Shea went on to say that the remarks ol the late city engineer, Mr. Morton, were merely a caution to people not to think that street-widening was going to do away with the need for care and diligence on the part of motorists. Motorists and pedestrians alike had to do their best to look alter themselves. The complaints that had been made as to the traffic returns were idle, for they showed that ten vehicles per minute passed up that way.

•Town Planning Will Delay Progress.” Referring to the cutting back ol llie end portion ol the reserve, Air. O’Shea asserted that a “won and the lamb' situation existed, lor whatever the City Council proposed to do would be objected to. Again, the objectors had brought out that “old man ol the sea” the lown Planning Act, winch was going to delay the piogress ot Wellington to) ever. During his eight vears in charge of the parks and reserves, Mt McKenzie had, staled counsel, planted cabbage trees in different parts ol the city, but none in streets. "No city in New Zealand lias expended as much out of the publicfunds as Wellington," continued the city solicitor. “Of course Auckland has bad large benefactions from private citizens.” Summing up, Air O’Shea said the only question to be dealt with was whether or not the reserve should be cut back on account of ever-increas-ing traffic. Of the two town-planning experts called, Mr. Hurst-Seager had definitely approved ot the council’s scheme, while Mr. Hammond apparently did not oppose it. “When the thing is put in order the public will learn to deal with the matter as they did when the traffic arrangements in Courtenay Place were altered . . No city council could in the face of public opinion maintain such a state of affairs as would exist if the exaggerated ideas of the objectors proved correct ” The Magistrate intimated that he would deliver his report to the Government. ’ A CORRECTION. In our report of yesterday in connection with the Kent Terrace inquiry the statement attributed to Mr. A. L-I-lunt. “that in time the trams must take the centre of the reserve” is an error. Mr. Hunt has always been in favour of maintaining the reserve intact.