A TRAMWAY BLOCKED.

\>■ ♦ ■' . EXTRAOBDINAET PROCEEDINGS. Aawas stated in. Saturday's issue, the New Brighton Tramway Company last week erected gates on the land claimed by it as its freehold and lying at the I side of the tram line, and Mrs Charlotte ' Knight subsequently caused them to be out down. New gates .were erected by j the employees of the Company on Saturday morning, but they bad not long been in position before Mrs :Knight and the I members; of her family had them taken ■ down and. demolished. Later in the day j further, obstructions were offered, and caused considerable inconvenience to the Company and retarded the tram traffic somewhat. They were begun when the tram which leaves New Brighton at 4 p.m. for Cbristchurch was on its journey. This was a doable-car tram, drawn by four horses, and pretty well filled with paaeeugere,mo3t of whom wereladiesand children. Shortly after' leaving the bridge over the j Avon a dray was Been to be working on the j tram line, and on the cars coming up to ib the driver of the dray, a son of Mrs Knight, refused to move, and a parley failed to elicit any reason for this conduct. ■■ Mrs Knight was present, and directed her son's procedure. Mr M'lntyre, Chairman of Directors of the Tramway Company, and Mr John Thompson, the Manager, 1 were with the car?, and appeared to be the bntt of Mrs Knight's displeasure, as she excitedly defended her action, relating all 1 ber grievances in very high tones. Meanwhile, the passengers were endeavouring to reason with the man who was obstructing the roadway, but he ■ persisted in his obstruction, and delayed the progress of the 1 cars for fully half an hour. The Christchurch tram met the other one at the spot, ' and some difficulty was experienced in ' crossing owing to one of the cars having to be taken off the line to allow the other to i pass. When this was accomplished, and the car for New Brighton had started again, the dray waa again used for blocking the line, but the car driver, R. Thompson, ! did not stand on any ceremony, and obtaining an opportunity, despite Mrs Knight's instructions to the contrary, be forced his way paßt it, and no further obstruction 1 was offered during the rest of the day or yepterday. i The claim made by Mrs Knight was that the ground the dray was working on was ber own freehold property, to which Bhe ; bad sole right, and ehe defied the Tramway Company to take away her right. Mr M'lntyre, as 6oon after the obstruction as possible, telephoned for a policeman to be sent to prevent any further obstruction, bat received a reply that was deemed , unsatisfactory by the Company. The ' Directors of the Tramway Company will, it is stated, at once take legal action with a view of preventing any repetition of the proceedings.