The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1922. TRAMWAYS EXTENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1922. TRAMWAYS EXTENSIONS.

In their desire for the extension of the tramways to their own suburb, the residents of Vogeltown are adopting a course which may very easily wreck their chance of obtaining them within a reasonable period. Their aim is to include extensions to Vogeltown in the proposals to be submitted to ratepayers for extensions to Westown. Though their advocates disclaim any intention of “riding upon the backs” of Westown, the effect of including Vogeltown in the proposals would be that, and nothing else. Vogeltown is in an entirely different category from Westown, which has a much greater population, and is served by a length of tramway that at present is not paying and cannot pay until the line is taken up the hill and to David Street. A serious mistake was made in not completing the line, at any rate, to Wallace Place, when the tramways were installed, or in the following year, when the work could have been carried out at low cost. There is no doubt at all about the proposed extension paying its way, and for that reason ratepayers will have no hesitancy in authorising it at the poll proposed to be taken. It would be an entirely different matter were extensions to Vogeltown included in the authority. Ratepayers then might be very diffident about authorising the works, and Westown would be penalised, and Vogeltown’ prejudiced, perhaps for the next ten years. The position is so obvious that it is surprising representative men from Vogeltown should persist in a course which we can only regard as fatuous. Let them help Westown to get the trams to which they are entitled, and on their completion propound and submit their own scheme. It is

perfectly true, as they maintain, that population follow the trams, but, after all, the borough can only do one thing at a time in tram extensions at the present high costs, and it will be time enough to consider the needs of Vogeltown when the Westown extensions are running and paying. By that time we hope to see a complete scheme brought in to serve not only Vogeltown but Avenue Road, a loop which we feel sure would pay, serving as it would a considerable area of country not at present contributing to tramway revenue. But there is plenty of time for that. Meantime we hope the council will refuse the request to include Vogeltown in the Westown poll, and concentrate its attention upon Westown extensions.