COUNTY TRAMWAYS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2445, 9 March 1909, Page 7

COUNTY TRAMWAYS.

OPPOSITION TO THE SCHEME. A special meeting of the Cook County Council was held yesterday morning to consider whether the authorisation order to borrow £30,000 to construct tramways on the scheme proposed by Or. A, F. Matthews should be. applied- for. There were present: the 'Hon. Captain W. H. Tucker (chairman), Crs. H. White, R. Sherratt, T. Holden, A. F. Matthews. The Clerk (Mr. J. Warren) reported that a petition signed 1 by 250 ratepayers had been sent in objecting to the authorisation order being applied for. The petition was formally received. The Chairman said what the Council had to consider was whether the district on which the rates would be levied could be modified, so as to exclude the objectors, or whether the order should bo proceeded with. He noticed that a number of Hangaroa and Tiniroto ratepayers had signed the petition. If the rating district included the objectors there was no doubt there would be many votes re- - corded against the loan if the order was granted. Or. White said, that: if any alteration was made it might be better to raise the loan over the whole county. The Chairman: “And get properly knocked out.” „ Cr. White: Well, let the Council

commence over again. • The Chairman: There is no doubt the Borough Avould get most benefit from the tramway. That is the principal objection, and many ratepayers consider the Borough should undeitnke the work. Cr. Matthews: Councillors are beino- asked by ratepayers to put metal on the roads, and the only way to get cheap metal is to lay down a tramwav Manv thought that stone could be "brought in the Straker waggons, but the roads would first have to be made to carry Straker waggon traffic. The objections had come in at the eleventh hour, and the whole onus of accepting or rejecting the scheme should be thrown upon the ratepayers, and it was the duty of each councillor to put the benefits of the train before the ratepayers in the riding lie represented. He moved that a poll on the question be taken. Cr Sherratt seconded the motion. He thought it would be unfair to rate over a smaller area. He would much rather see the interest paid by the whole county. Cr. Holden agreed with the motion. The Chairman : One of the objectors is a Chinaman, Pong Hay. . Cr. Matthews’ motion was carried. Cr. Matthews moved that the Engineer should prepare a report on the cost of metalling the roads by the aid of, and without the aid of, a tram-, way, and the report be published so that the ratepayers can see the difference in the cost. The Chairman: There can be no objection to that. Cr. Matthews: The report can show the cost of maintenance on all the roads the tramway will benefit. ~ Cr. Sherratt: I should republish Cr. Matthews’ report with the Engineer’s before the poll is taken. Cr. Matthews: We want to put the case fairly before the ratepayers. ; The motion was carried.