THE PATUTAHI TRAMWAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2505, 19 May 1909, Page 5

THE PATUTAHI TRAMWAY.

BOROUGH COUNCIL APPROVES PROPOSAL. DEFINITE CONTRACT TO BE MADE cil last night, in accordance with notice, Cr. Collins moved “That the terms of agreement entered into between tlie old Council and the Cook County Council respecting delivery of Patutalii metal be confirmed by the new Council.” He said that they were bound to confirm what the old Council had done in tlie matter. The correspondence which had passed morally bound them, and lie proceeded to read tlie correspondence, as follows: Bth April, 1908. I am directed by the Gisborne Borough Council to state that for the next few years they are prepared to take stone at the rate of 10.000 yards ■annually from your quarry at Patutalii when your steam tram is put down, provided the cost of railage is below 3s a yard. I should also like to know when it is contemplated to have the line in working order. (.Signed) E. D. B. Robinson. Town Clerk. 20th May, 190 S. I am directed by the Gisborne Borough Council to inform you that they agree to take a minimum quantity of 8000 yards of Patutalii metal per annum for- 5 years, to be delivered by your tram, at a railage rate of 3s.or under, your Council to forego any charge for royalty. 1 have also to state that the Council expects to receive the benefit of any re ’nation made in the cost of quarrying or breaking by the installation of improved machinery. (Signed) R. I). B. Robinson. Town Clerk. June 3rd, 190 S. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of Ist inst, relative to tlie Borough Council withdrawing the condition of paying royalty in the stone supplied by your council by tram from Patutalii Quarry, and in reply am directed by the Council to state that they will agree to take the SOOO yards per annum for five years, and pay royalty of 3d per yard and a haulage rate of not exceeding 3s per yard. Trusting tho work will be pushed on with all possible speed. (Signed) R. D. B. Robinson. Town Clerk.

He thought that the correspondence justified the Council in trying to ratify wlmt tlie previous Council had done. A statement had been made that the Patutalii Road Beard could close the Patutalii quarry at any time owing to an agreement with the Cook County Council. The agreement between the two Councils as per the correspondence was absolute. It would be advisable to see what the cost of tlie scheme would be. It would be a total of 9s lOd per yard laid on the road. The total cost for five years of metal (40.000yds) by tramway would be £19.665. On the estimates was an item for £4500. for metal and shingle, and on the same basis they would have for five years £22,500. The Straker waggon was rather too speedy for the roads. He excluded' from his calculations* depreciation, interest on capital value, etc. The Straker waggon carted annually 2000yds, said to be at a cost of Bs, but with breaking, spreading, etc., really! brought the cost to 10s Old per yd. ' Cr. Collins then proceeded to criticise the different qualities of the three metals, Patutalii. Gentle Annie, and Waihirere, claiming that the former was-generally considered to be the better of tho three. How, lie asked, did they propose to transmit- stone from Gentle Annie? If by tramway every grade of over 1 in 100 diminished the strength of haulage, and under the existing conditions the cost- would be prohibitive. They had been told that tjfie Councils should unite. If they had dual control they were taking a. maximum risk for the same result as a minimum risk. As the County Council stood .the Borough- was bound to them for 5 years, and after that the Cook County Council word hound to the scheme for a further 36 years. Surely it would not he wise for the borough to enter into such a scheme ?

Cr. Pettie formally seconded Cr. Collins’ motion. The matter was most important, and it would bo better to have the matter settled one \v-ay or another. In his opinion the tramway scheme was the only solution of the metal- difficulty of the borough. The Mayor" agreed that the quest was important. He was surprised that Cr. Collins should move tho motion after his previous expressions on the matter, and having said that he would be guided by him in the matter. It showed him that statements from that quarter could not be depended upon. Nobody had given the matter more thought than 110, and it was not an advisable contract, and they could not carry it through without loan proposals. There was no contract between the Councils, and many matters would have to be settled before the question was decided. No details were settled, and the correspondence showed that the Borough Council had approached the County Council, and not vice versa. Any solicitor would toll them that there was no hindinw contract. If the contract was made they could not carry it out with their present finances. Ihe County Council had been guilty of a deliberate

breach of tho arrangement by imposing the tallying charge of 4<l per yard. Tho Council was at present in a very different position to the time when the negotiations were being carried out, owing to the gravel pit at Kaitaratahi and the probablity of a line to the Waihirero quarry. The day would come when they would require little or no Patutahi metal. When Gladstone Road was put in thorough order little else would be wanted but shingle and tar. They had their own quarry, and would save a considerable a mount on the cost of the Patutahi metal. If they wanted an unlimited supply of metal, and the tarmway were ruirning'eonstantly, the could probably get the metal cheaper by the tram. Tho guarantee from the Straker Company was that metal could be carted from Patutahi at 2s a yard. It had been tested with the trailer and accepted, and if it was found that the guarantee was not good they could return the waggon. Another important matter was that the metal at Gentle Annie was hotter, and better for quarrying purposes than Patutahi metal, and from there they could bring a bigger load in the Straker. The County Council bad hampered the Council. They only filled the waggon to the load line, and by shaking down half a yard was lost on each journey. These things ought to make them frank and plain to refuse to come to any agreement. Funny things had been done by the Borough Council in the past, but if the contract with the County Council was confirmed it would he the funniest thing the Council had ever done. Their man" at the quarry was repeatedly insulted, and even threatened with violence regarding the hoppers. The waggon had gone out often and come backempty, and he held that they would be absolutely wrong to go on with the contract with such a body that would treat them as they had already been treated. Gravel from Kaitarataln was going to cost the borough £lB per day at the rate of twelve trucks per day, iv ith one man at Kaitaratahi. At five days a week this would come to £4ooo p-1 year for gravel, and all they had m the estimates was £2OOO more than diey had before, but it was clearly understood that this amount was ior othei miscellaneous things _ The contract should not he entered into without th vote of the ratepayers, and n tne> depleted the finances Oi the_ Council thov would have to scrape and save tor it The estimates could never be followed out- exactly. He would g“ aia £ tee that Gentle Annie metal could oe brought in by the Straker waggon ncaiv 40 per cent, cheaper than from Pa-i-ntahi The metal at Patutahi was a over would be coming inatthe vv rm end of the borough, prostrike in Td V E n ; AXretjT™ needed If a tramway was to be | orm of it Should S c^ Sn a in'ut agreement with tne v . . & »ith each gS ’b/’p'V'b?"'’aA the borough from the i atutain, nn was no Gentle Annie the SUPP* A. metal °-Cr UartonTlllkhese things will be in His hv protesting mo t v'goronslr against the pg* ctSo" 3 nC Everv^argument which had dm mil was still offeetire, and .nere was, moreover a tion oit their p. . ‘ V, . s entirely wrmm "to suggest that Patutahi metal Parana* absolutely needed for £& Sul was fully satisfied that in no othej ’ ,v could metal he obtained for the mentioned iiom * , AlavIn regard to points> raased t>5 j the 0f fh- ie Sonmrvell said lie was m the old C? H There waf no "question butT£SS\22Z : Wjtlr CrJ^te ihought it was understood ough was not U 1; ~ reduction yard, and was t-o. lccent. a . be below that figure " was cerfound possible to mam. tainly mentioned. . use of His hi the mentioning it it it s not Somervell thought the borough should insist upon slit representatives su v ]e p 10 . m ade a stipulation reiei . q’ltev certainly part of the contract t their could vvith .ho if cou ditions had altered in the matter of Cr. Clayton W challeng _ the closing of the f l > , dav , V as Id tlio Mayor to say that Uad not the same on which the ■ been closed , f been notified and. Also the Council had been no BtoUC . asked if they Council laming charie of 44 had to pay p , v- IT p no i and the Regarding ±he^ e tal. he claimed shaking down of tho niew n bnnt . that the lengocl the to the same ioss- « Mavor rc gardmg statements oi t C ut ; Council, and the adionsof the relations betwen the regretted that tl harmonious, two bodies v eie . ,1 + +lie Council’s The Mayor that tbe estimates on one item *for down as a matte i speaker) bank purposes, **&*&£ * Tis en . held that sueh a P t o “the questirely claimed tion of the fetiakei vy,, -x , vas ld ot that it had been that it suitable for long aU ® ' • bbe town, for distrilmtmy * for s ; x months The cost of the Ava„„ but no "if “* d0 W been made for standing allowance had been 1 get down m charges or depieciat exact t"e Strata £» had really Sn V7W wr yd, £3500 for 'lS'vaKta'at 12s 7J4 tho carting of , vonl d have Kddod for quarrying spreading, etc Tho Straker people estimated t o & ja sagcompariim the cost of metal caiteci, sreferfflsare- 8

ca.se the advantage lay with the tra; way scheme. _ . Cr. Uarton interrupted, again calm attention to the advanced hour. Continuing, Cr. Clayton said i would have liked to finish his fignrt but was prepared to lay figures befo the Council. All he could say was th, he thought no reasonable man could ( otherwise than vote for the Patuta tramway scheme. Cr. Harris said he was going to voagainst the proposal, and said that u: dor the present system of finance thei was disaster in store for the ratepayer Two wrongs did not make a right, an if a predecessor of his had done wron he.' would have the moral honesty t try and set him right. He was -.nc afraid to undo the work of a p|fedcce.‘ sor if it was wrong. He -was Satisfie the borough finances would no| stair tlie strain. Surely such a mattei* shorn he put before the Finance Committe and not he rushed through in the man nor proposed. The matter, in Kis opin ion, should be submitted to the rate payers. No orxe had shown hciwl th< scheme could be financed. Several Councillors exclaimed that i' was being financed from the estimates Cr. Harris continued that this wa; a loan proposal being carried behinc the hacks of the ratepayers. Cr. Uarton: If we spent the same money on Kaitaratahi gravel you wouldn’t complain. Cr. Maynard endorsed the remarks of Cr. Harris, and claimed that it was wrong for a Council elected for only two years to pledge the ratepayers to a five years’ contract. Cr. Collins replied briefly, and. __t homo tion was then carried, Crs. Collins, Clayton, Uarton, Smith, Petrie, and. Somervell supporting, and the Mayor and Crs. Harris and Maynard opposincr. It was then decided to refer to the Finance Committee the question of drawing up the agreement.