THE TRAMWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1922, Page 4

THE TRAMWAYS.

EXTENSION TO WESTOWN. •LOAN POLL TO-MORROW. PUBLIC MEETING’S SUPPORT. A large number of ratepayers responded to the invitation to attend at the Soldiers’ Club, New Plymouth, last night to discuss the proposed extension of the tramway system to Westown, on which a poll of the ratepayers will be taken to-morrow, when permission will be sought to borrow the sum of £19,000 to extend the existing tramway from Morley Street to David Street. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) presided. Mr. Wilson said that, in the opinion of the council, the time has arrived for a forward movement, and the council was unanimous in putting this proposal before the ratepayers. “The reasons that have induced them to do this are these,” added Mr. Wilson. “You know that the money market is becoming easier; the rate of interest is dropping, and money is now procurable for municipal enterprises readily at 6 per cent., and in some few instances at 5J per cent. (Even if this proposal is carried it will be some time before the money is needed, because the Government takes a long time before it grants a license to proceed with construction. If we wait for pre-war conditions thia generatipn will not see the construction started.”

Mr. Wilson went on to speak of the effect of the tramways in stimulating the growth of New Plymouth, the population along the tramway routes having grown to a great extent, while the ’bus service had also influenced the growth of the suburbs. With these points in view the council had first of all affirmed the desirability of laying the tramway to Westown and had then asked the engineer to prepare estimates. They may have heard comment that these estimates -were excessive, but they compared very favorably with the estimates made for the proposal two years ago, and showed that the engineer had given consideration to the present rilling figures. Two years ago the estimate was £25,500, but now it was £19,000, a reduction of £6500. COSTS COMPARED. The wages for laying the present track were Is 2d to Is 3d, but were now Is lOd per hour. Rails then cost £9 per ton landed in New Plymouth, but now they were quoted at £9 per ton in London, and the price had since risen. The engineer estimated that they would cost £l4 10s per ton landed in New Plymouth, while fishplates cost just double what they were in 1914. In addition they had to remember that when the present tramway was laid, tarring and asphalting were not allowed for, but they were included in the pres ; ent proposal, while it would be necessary to carry out a feeder from the power-house to Morley Street to help the current to give plenty of power to get the ears up the hill. This feeder, which -was needed for the Morley Street extension, would cost £2OOO, the cable alone costing £lOOO. But what did. it matter if the estimate was too high. “I said in the council, and 1 say here, “Thank God we have an engineer who is not afraid to estimate too high,” Mr. Wilson went on. “The loan proposals provide ‘for such further extensions to the present system as may be required, so that the town will still benefit if we save on the estimate. We shall have money for tramway work elsewhere. My idea is that if the estimate is on the high side it is an estimate in the right direction.” (Applause.)

Mr. Wilson said that if there was too much money the council would decide as to what extensions were to be undertaken, but the same arguments would be advanced for Vogeltown as were now advanced for Westown. The Vogeltown tramway would cost considerably more than the Westown extension, owing to the very expnsive materials used in the points which would be required in Liardet Street. These alone would cost about £2OOO, but the engineer, having in view the fact that two lines would be turning out of Liardet Street, had seen that these would provide a “turntable” for turning the cars round, and it would therefore not be necessary to proceed with the work of constructing a turntable at Fitzroy. If there were a saving over Westown it would enable this work to be done, and while it was not of immediate benefit to Vogeltown it would mean something to them. WILL THE LINE PAY? Turning to the question as to whether the extension would pay, Mr. Wilson said the Morley Street extension had not proved remunerative since it was laid down. The reasons were obvious. One fact which had to be borne in mind was that that section as it existed to-day was not of any benefit to Westown, but any extension, still using the Morley Street route would benefit a larger population as well. Last month 12,272 passengers were carried from Egmont 'Street to Morley Street, while the ’bus carried 6072 passengers to Westown. Bearing in mind that the Westown passengers were not served by the Morley Street tram, and estimating that the same population travelled on the tram, they had already provided for 18,000 passengers. The average fare was l.Sd on the Morley Street line, and, assuming that 2d would be taken as the figure for the passengers who would be carried on the Westown extension from Egmont Street, including those using the Morley Street section, and, assuming further that 20,000 people travelled per month, they would have an annual revenue of £2OOO. If they got the money at 5| per cent., the interest, plus 1J per cent, sinking fund, on £19,000 amounted to £1330 per annum. No further cars were necessary and there wedld be practically no extra expense, except for extra current. Mr. Wilson closed his remarks by making an appeal to all the ratepayers, favorable or otherwise, to vote on the proposal and asked those present to induce others to do so, so as to show that New Plymouth was alive, up-to-date, and going ahead. He then moved the following motion: “That this meeting endorses the action of the Borough Council in putting forward the proposal for Westown and other extensions, and hopes that it will be carried by a large poll on Thursday.” (Applause.) Replying to a question as to what would happen to the ratepayers at the other end of Westown when the bus was taken away, the Mayor said that they could not lay trams everywhere; they could lay them only where they were going to pay. His own opinion was that the next extension should be made into the middle of Vogeltown, and then, and then only, should extension*

be made to the extreme ends of the borough. Mr. €. Garter, chairman of the Ratepayers’ Association, said he was heartily in accord with the proposal to extend the system to Westown and hoped the ratepayers would show themselves in sympathy with the proposal. He thought the time opportune for taking the poll, and to his mind they could vote with safety upon the question. He’ would like to say that at a meeting at Vogeltown the other night they had unanimously decided to support the scheme. (Applause.) Mr. J. D. Sole said that in Westown they recognised the necessity for the extension and he felt sanguine that it would be a paying proposition from the start. They had a penny section at present, but they were quite willing to put up with a little extra expense to get better service. He felt sure that when they saw how the Westown section had paid there would be no hesitation in going to the ratepayers again. Mr. W. J. Ewart inquired if one of the ’buses could ibe used at the end of the Westown section -when it was completed, but the Mayor said it was no use holding out false hopes. The matter would be discussed by the council then in office, but it was quite possible that the ’bus would be withdrawn. For one thing it would have to keep on coming in to Liardet Street to have its batteries recharged. The motion, which was seconded by Mr. F. J. Hill, was carried unanimously.