STREET TRAMWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 4045, 12 February 1876, Page 2

STREET TRAMWAYS.

The meeting o{ ratepayer* in Leith Word, convened last to protest against the City Council allowing tramways to be laid in the City, was held at Cottar's Caledonian' Hotel, Great King street. There were about fif by (,erson present, and Mr R. Wilson presided. The Chairman express jd his individual opinion that the Council should be in the p'osession of the fullest inforiiiation in teference to tramways before it dealt with the matt r. He read tbe following letter from Councill r Reeves : ' '

Dear Sir,—l regret that a previous engagement will prevent me being present at the meeting this evening to consider this important question. I may, however, saylsm of opinion that, if it is considered desirable in the interest of the citizens and ratepayers of the city to have tramways constructed, that the Corporation itself should lay the permanent way, place thereon the rolling stoc'', and then let it by tender for one or two yeurs, the lessee to P&yrsnt monthly in advance; keep the line and property in thorough repair; be esponsibtefor its proper conduction, and handitovor in thorough good the Coiporation at the end of the lease. If tranwrays are to benefit the ratepayers, then let the ratepayers hove die fullest possible benefit; and I maintain that the Corporation, being able to borrow money at a lower interest than any company or private person, and having its own engineering staff to construct aud superintend the laying of the line, is iu a position to perform the work much cheaper than any company or person who may be desi bus of payine for the privilege of doing so. We know from experience that should a company or individual obtain tie privilege to construct, the line, that \n.a few years, if it be considered in the interest of the ratepayers that the line shquld be purchased by the, Corporation, that then large compensation may* have to be paid. Bequest hig' you to apologise to the meeting for. my absence.—l am, &c. > , ■;.- ■ i C. 8. Beeves. He agreed with Or. R eves if tramway s wera { laid down; in the City they should be I under'.the cont'd! of-the Corporation, .which would prevent the possibility of a monopoly and of consequent trouble and vexation..

i, THBW ?*,^ :er «plain?ng th,thehad hj!Wv^rp Unf;allin f tho meeting, saiS he knew the Counr ;illo rß generally were in favor of avln ? » * .-amWayf indeed they had *u call designs whiXhad thought it prematuie tuexpesSlSl to call the CouJhs** xoget-ner for the purpose of uaining tolimil! SS he could! tell them that aevera^ll ia speoia! meeting was to be called to coasidil tnemntter. The residents of Kin? street!!! .nonpatent reason for assuming that the trim? ,way was to be laid anywhere near their neigh

T*¥ r i^ ATHEWS Wged to correct Mr Grant. It had been intimated throueh the Pr*ss that 2IL? a ? Wtty wa l *°> lald along Princes street, through tho Octagon, down Albany i throngh-rKing-streefc-v^w^^i «v£Jif °? Ba V ( £ TO mattere n& d to be con-1 sidered: first, whether it would be to the wdfare of the City at id second whether there was Wffioientspace, forhe.underotood that it must m fan* of tramwavs, if portion to construct them, but there were a greit many, urgent.jmatterp requiring to he.looked after, a ■ proper p. sfcem,bf sewerage deserved pr k cetlenc t. lie did, not.see what right the Corporation had to .Bj;arrt a concession to apy cpmoany, aa ihey, be, put out at any .moment, and their sucwould be justified,, in refusing to rati y such aJ concession., A special meef in* of the Councd was to days, to consider the suDJect-vftramway*. but at his *ugg*stibnit had-been adjourned until after this meeting. . "., .4 I Mr Shebwin considered it inexpedient at'the present tmie to instruct tramwajs: and he ooj.ctad strongly to monopolies. '.' MrMiTHßiws moved, and Mr D.Simpson secondeds~ • "• ; ' ' opinion of this, meeting, it would be. very updesfcaWe and mjudicions pWent ' time'tojgrant any, jjght oMights to any-persoi'w IhES?i?J the Ci ty, st «ete foVtrimwa&Sttat calls-tie-connciUors to-with- , hold gmatiugr. any such request until the ratepayers • see tkejnecessity for the same. ~ , ™ Cr. Leabt denied baying expressed an opinion, on the subject, &bu s li he had ; bcen credited wifh having do.e so. He promised the meeting.that he would not vote on the subject mHil much better-acqua nted with-the feasibility; of! lajnngilramways inßunedin. He dd not agree- wrh the objection to tramways on the i ground that they would b a obstructive, because! the mis were so small as to allow a vehicle to, pass over them with no aggravation o£ the oscillation in passing, along -the 1 street, j-He also did'not think it was necessary to construes them on a sirfir.g, as i.. Cahforiiia th«y formed a perfect network, of the strefste-K). he.should judge torn photo-"! graphs; whioh had come uudec his notice, The mattes? had certainly come before the 'Council | as a u y £r , r «°S ftl »tighti,and been rehired to (he WurksCommittee, but'if th'tf Committer I haoV.cMled for desigus, it had exceeded ifc< runctions. • Tha Corpordtioa, he had no fiOufet. wotdd ; be thoionghly well fortified on the sub'- ! ject beford pledging: itself. > He moved, as an amendment—

That it is undesirable to express an opinion on tne subject of tramways in ths absence of more 10 w^ e,?ardx ? s L tliem mei the conditibns upon which they are to be constructed, and that the City . Council be requested to defer committin« ltsiilf to ony proposal until the details thereof sbal be. made public.' ■ . K ?" ai

The amendment was seconded by a Mr J HopcßOFT.'and, on being put to the vote,' Was negatived.., The origiual motion was then declared corned, and a committee,- consisting Mesvrs 'lf Wikon, Wright, Matthbws, and Meenan appointed on behalf of the ratepayers to watoh the Council's proceedings in this matt r....