Newmarket Council to Raise £13,000

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 408, 17 July 1928, Page 16

Newmarket Council to Raise £13,000

TROUBLE OVER TRAM STOPS RATEPAYERS INDIGNANT The Newmarket Borough Council, which for some time has been widely divided upon the question of traffic outlets, decided at a special meeting yesterday morning to secure authority to approach the ratepayers for a loan of £1,200 for tram-stop alterations in the Triangle, for £II,OOO for drainage improvements, and £BOO for the reconstruction of Mortimer Pass. Further discussion on the tramstops was postponed indefinitely. A body of ratepayers recently formed a progressive association, and invited the Mayor and councillors to a public meeting in the Municipal Hall last evening. Several of the councillors at the special meeting yesterday morning questioned the bona tides of the association, however, and by five votes to three the council decided that until the standing and constitution of this body had been made known, they would not consent to accept the invitation to meet the people at this meeting. The Mayor, Mr. S. Donaldson, and Or. T. J Watts, turned up, and the Mayor explained his position in connection with the controversy over tram-stops. He alleged that the chief interest actuating the opponents of the scheme already adopted by the council was one of commercial profit, and was affected by the valuation of properties in the shopping centre. It had been said that the top end of Broadway was fighting to retain its privileges against the pressure from the bottom end, but he, the Mayor, considered that both ends were endeavouring to retain their just rights against a small section of people in the centre. The Mayor explained the schemes in detail, and quoted the authority of the tramway department and of the local traffic inspector in favour of its efficacy. The facts in respect to his own attitude had been misrepresented, it was reported that he had promised to apologise to the ratepayers for having made a mistake. What he had promised to do was to plea'd guilty if he had committed an error, and explain it to the people. He had made no misrepresentation, however, and had nothing to which to plead guilty. POLL URGED Cr. T. J. Watts explained his position, and said he always had been in favour of the people deciding a question of such moment as the one being discussed. At the special meeting yesterday, there was manifest a spirit of conciliation, which seemed to him to denote that a settlement of differences might be reached. He thought it a crying shame that drainage and other important questions should be held up while the council argued over tramstops. Yet such was the case if they did not take the poll and get the decision of the ratepayers. They were still troubled by floods in the vicinity of New Street, and in some parts the people were nearly being eaten alive by mosquitoes. He always had fav-

oured securing the voice of the ratepayers on this question. The following resolution was passed by the meeting: “That this body of ratepayers strongly disapproves of the action of the councillors in not attending this public meeting, and that a strong deputation wait upon the council at the next meeting and ask them to proceed with the tram-stop proposals already adopted by the council, and to submit the question of sections to a poll of the ratepayers.” A deputation to the council will be organised by Messrs. "Winter, Philpott, Latham and Dingle.