| Friday, May 9, 1930, Vol. 78, No. 14 | The Newmarket Era | Page 2, col. 3 |
South end of county vote strong for radial.
Willowdale, May 5.—Richmond Hill, Vaughan township, Markham township and North York township voted decisively in favor of radial service from Toronto city limits to Richmond Hill.
The vote was 1,336 to 107 in favor of giving the councils of Richmond Hill village and of the three south townships power to make an agreement with Toronto to purchase a section of the now abandoned Metropolitan line.
Every subdivision gave a majority for the proposal. Responsibility for payments will be as follows: North York 55 per cent., Vaughan and Markham each 11 per cent. and Richmond Hill 23 per cent.
It is unlikely that any further action toward securing the line immediately will be taken until the June meeting of the County Council. Voting may be called for to determine the attitude of the people from Elgin Mills of Newmarket and perhaps Sutton. It is understood that Aurora and Newmarket will bear a large percentage of the cost of the line should it be extended through to Newmarket.
Operation of the service will be as the municipalities desire. An agreement will probably be made with the T.T.C. for the line operation.
If the municipalities are anxious to operate their own system, the county may withdraw its action against Toronto arising from the abandonment of the Metropolitan line.
The city continues to be responsible for the whole Metropolitan debt of $2,510,000, involving annual debt charges of $271,000 for ten more years. As against this, Toronto will have the next $66,500 from the sale of the Richmond Hill section, and whatever the salvage value of the remainder of the line and the various Metropolitan properties may prove to be. Some of these are quite valuable. The fine picnic park at Bond Lake will be sold, and would make an ideal estate. As soon as operation is resumed on the radial to Richmond Hill, the T.T.C. will withdraw its buses from that section of Yonge St. and will do no local business there. But its coaches from north of Richmond Hill will continue to run to the city via Yonge St.