Transport Loan Poll To Have Alternative

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 599, 27 February 1929, Page 9

Transport Loan Poll To Have Alternative

PARTIAL OR COMPLETE? ISSUE FOR RATEPAYERS Auckland ratepayers art to be asked to vote on the suggested c£ 300,000 loan for the Transport Board s first works programme, and, alternatively, on a loan of £625,000, considered necessary to carry out the full programme which the board has in view.

Ihe issues will be placed before the ratepayers when authority to borrow for tramway and plant extensions is sought.

The decision to submit two issues to the ratepayers was made by the board yesterday afternoon. Previouslv, the x?oFJ?x luid dec ided to submit only the x. 000.000 loan, and to leave the second part of the programme to a later date. •Xo objections have been received.” said the chairman, Mr. J. A. C. AUum. when he advised that the intention of the board to seek the approval of the Local Government Loans Board in connection with the suggested £300,000 loan had been advertised. Mr. AUum moved that the board’s previous decision to submit the loan lor approval should be confirmed. As an amendment. Mr. E. H. Potter mo\ ed that the ratepayers should be n n a^ern ittiv'e vote on the whole of the board’s programme. Mr. Potter said in his amendment total cost should not exceed C 600,000. He believed that it was the wish of the ratepayers in the wider district under the jurisdiction of the board to vote on the whole programme. REASONS FOR REDUCTION

Potter said that his reason for reducing the amount of the Joan to £600,000 was that he thought that the board should not commit itself to he spending of £24,000 on workshop additions when private enterprise 'would be available for car building. He also thought that £37,000 was too large an amount to be allowed for loan flotation charges. “These should not exceed £10,000,” Mr. Potter said.

That private enterprise should be allowed to cater for such districts as Mount Eden, Mount Albert and Mount Rcskill until the tramway extensions were made was the opinion bf Mr.. Potter.

“The board should encourage people Co settle in the more distant parts of these suburbs,” Mr. Potter said. “The licences could be granted on condition that the bus services were withdrawn when the trams were ready to run there.”

Mr. E. J. Phelan seconded thd amendment.

Doubts were expressed by the chairman whether the board would have the legal power to submit alternative issues. He asked Mr. Potter to alter his amendment to include a proviso that the proposal should be subject to the board having legal authority. If it were found that the board did not have the power, it might have to go over the ground again. The amendment was eventually carried in the form suggested by Mr. Allum. After the meeting, Mr. AUum said that he had legal opinion that there was no objection to the submitting of alternative proposals. Mr. Allum said that much of the success of the prospects of the carrying of the loan would depend on the opinions of the ratepayers in the districts already served by the trams. He pointed out that the proposals had been unanimously endorsed by the Press. The workshops additions would not be solely for the making of new cars but would be necessary for maintenance of and repairs to the extra rolling stock required when the new lines were put down.