TRAM SERVICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24405, 17 September 1940, Page 8

TRAM SERVICES

ST. KILDA ROUTE QUESTION AGAIN DISCUSSED The question of a quicker service on the St. Kilda line, and the reinstatement of the Richardson street service to its original route along Moreau street, was agai before the St. Kilda Borough Council at a meeting last night. Mr W. H. Mackenzie, general manager of Dunedin Corporation Transport, wrote as follows:—“With reference to a request made by Cr Rutherford at the conclusion of the conference held at the Town Hal 1 between your committee and the Transport Committee, that the Forbury Park cars should run some distance beyond the present terminus, I have to say that the matter has received a good deal of consideration by the chairman of the committee and myself, but we regret being unable to accede to th»- request.” The town clerk (Mr R. A. Johnston) , City Council, wrote in connection with a letter from the St. Kilda Council, which asked for a reply to the representations made by a deputation from the St. Kilda Council which had waited on the City Transport Committee requesting improvements to the Forbury Park and St. Kilda tram services, and Mr Johnston stated that' the matter had been placed before the City Transport Committee! He further stated that a perusal ol the records of the meeting referred to showed that the decision of the meeting was to the effect that the whole matter should stand over for further consideration, when the results of the half-year’s trading to September 30 would oe available. This had been the decision communicated to the St. Kilda Council representatives at the meeting, and in the circumstances a reply had not been considered necessary. The representations of the St. Kilda Council would, as indicated, receive full consideration as soon as the trading results were known. “ Most Unsatisfactory ” Cr Lovell said that the letter fom Mr Mackenzie must be considered very disappointing, both to the council and the residents of the borough. Other routes in the city were given at least a 15-minute service, and he certainly thought they should have a 10 or 15minute service on the St. Kilda line. There could be no just reason for accusing them of pinprickine because they asked for this service. “ The reply,” Cr Lovell added, ”is most unsatisfactory, and it is now left to the residents and the council to take up the matter in possibly another way.” It would be interesting to know if the manager’s letters were the considered opinion of the Transport Committee. They knew that the tram manager and the chairman of the Transport Committee had discussed the matter, but he thought that it was for the Transport Committee as a whole to say whether they should or should not have the service they had asked for on the St. Kilda route. He thought that they would have to consider carefully their reply, and in the meantime he would move that the letter be received. Cr Longworth seconded the motion. Evidently, he said, the resolution they had passed at the last meeting of the council had borne fruit. At the same' time, the chairman of the Transport Committee had apparently got up in arms because they had thought fit to pass the resolution. He had taken up a childish attitude. He flew to the press whenever he thought that he had a grievance. What had been said at their council meeting was only fair comment, and he personally took strong exception to the action of Mr H. L Gibson, chairman of the Transport Committee, in running to the press about it. Trams and Buses He had favoured giving the buses a trial in the district Cr Longworth continued, and he thought that the council had made a mistake in not allowing the buses to be run. Since that time there had been pinpricking because of the policv of the majority of their council. (Hear, hear.) He held that there was nothing to prevent the trams being run round the block off Richardson street. There was absolutely nothing in the Transport Committee’s contention that it could not rim trams round that block. Some criticism was made by councillors regarding trams to and from Richardson street and to and from St. Kilda following close on each other, and a councillor remarked that they knew that when they turned down the proposal to run buses in the district there would be a cut in the St, Kilda service.

The Mayor (Mr J. J. Marlow) pointed out that the letter from the town clerk had been written on August 30—that was before the resolution was passed at their previous meeting. He said that immediately they got the figures from the Transport Committee regarding the running of the services in the borough they could ask for another conference with the Transport Committee.

Cr Anderson said that many people in the district considered that the Transport Committee was pulling the wool over St. Kilda councillors’ eyes. He said that the deputation had been promised, so far as the Richardson street service was concerned, that the manager would look into the matter immediately, and that was some weeks ago. Cr Hinton: Is it correct thai the matter is to be reconsidered after September 30? The Mayor: That is so. Cr Hinton said he could not conceive how they could go past that. The motion to receive the letter was then put and carried. Tram Line in Order

A letter was received from the manager, Dunedin Corporation Transport, stating, in reply to a communication from the council regarding the question of raising the tram rails in Moreau street, that this matter had been carefully considered, and that it had been found that the tram line had not sunk below the original level, This was clearly shown in comparison with the manhole covers. The trouble appeared to be that the shoulder of the road was too high, particularly at the intersection of Council street, as this street was above the level of Moreau street. This, together with the shoulder referred to. was preventing the water flowing into the channel The explanation met with the approval of councillors, and. on the motion of Cr, Hinton, it was decided that the foreman be instructed to take steps to remove the water.