THE FAMILIAR UNKNOWN.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14839, 3 December 1913, Page 4

THE FAMILIAR UNKNOWN.

("The aoit familiar object Ja often tie least known-") (Bt "The Watchman-")

(SPECIAIXT WRITTEN- FOR """S *»«»•">

No. 37. THE USERS OFTHE TRAMSI wrote on Saturday something as to the section of the tramway stnff that comes most into contact with the pub- ! lie—the running 6taif. A good deal might bo said of the public that it comes in contact with in its relation to the trams. The mnny-headed is a strango entity ■with many strange ways and idiosyncracics. It displays special facets of its personality in each of its relations to the various services that minister to its comfort and convenience, from the persistence with which it will rush to do its shopping just whentho shops are closing in the last moments of tho lato night, to the persistence with which tho skirted section of it will always get off a tram tho wrong way—and as of ton as not blame tho conductor for the consequences.

THE WRONQ TUKNING. It is a curious thing, this last trait, noticeablo almost everywhere that trams are ran. Tho Christchurch tramway management is thorough in its recording and treatment of accidents as in other respects, and looking over the records tho most typicai entry begins; "Lady alighted from moving car." It seems to bo inherent in tho sex to always alight the wrong way. Like tho man who misplaces his "h's," and who appears to go out of his way and make an absolute effort to put them in or leave them out in the wrong place, you will see ladies who proudly proclaim themselves as of intelligence to mere man, ana wronged because they are denied the premiership, or a place on tho Bench, and who pass elaborate resolutions as to the righting of tho universe, tako elaborate pains to turn round and face the rear of the moving car instead of the way it is going, before stepping off. You can see instances every day, and that peculiarity is tho bane of the tram conductors' working hours everywhere—except only in Stockholm. There there were originally horso trams, which, to save the wear* and tear of horseflesh in re-starting, used to merely slow down at street corners, instead of absolutely stopping. Consequently the fair Swedes had to learn to face the way the tram was going when they got off. Perhaps, though, it was the survival of the fittest. Those who didn't were buried at tho expense of the tram authorities.

EVERY DAY ITS ACCIDENT. In one recent month which I was looking up the records showed 31 actual accidents, of which 12 were from this foolish habit. The damage to the premature alighter ranged from "good shaking" to "ankle sprained," "head cut—teeth broken." In the same month there were- tyro collisions with motor-cars, and three motor-cycles collided with tram-cars, the riders in two of the cases suffering "internal injury and "cuts" respectively. Horsevehicles backing into trams provided several accidents. There were such happenings to a trap, two butchers carts, two ordinary drays, a timber dray, and a spring cart, with varying minor damage. Also a cart without lights, and a vehicle with an individual who had evidently been imbibing, collided with trams. Two conductors had accidents —one fell over a far step and hurt his leg, and another was struck by a trailer step and sustained a flesh wound.

There were 21 accidents reported in the month just closed. Of these "alighted from the moving car" accounted for seven. Five of the conconcerned were ladies. There were collisions with aerated water cart, cab, motor car (2), cow, motor cycle, cyclist and express van. Two people were knocked over on the tracks, and a man lying across the track, had a narrow escape from death, while a Dunedin man was hurt in trying to board a moving car. Two accidents with "specials are recorded. In one .'case the horse broke a car window,;in the other the horse was killed and the rider injured.

GETTING AT THE FACTS. The possibility of accident is always present in every traction system, but especially in systems running through crowded streets, and both for business reasons and in the interests of humanity a tramway system is particularly concerned to try and avert them, and to prevent its being taken undue advantage of on their account. No matter how trivial an accident may be, both the conductor and motorman have to report it. They have to get the names of as many witnesses as possible- on the spot. That is imperative. Hero is a case in point. A man fell from a car and received a shaking, but when the conductor asked - him his name he said, "It's air right, it was not your fault." The conductor, fortunately for himself, took the names of witnesses notwithstanding. Two days afterwards, the man who had voluntarily absolved them from blame came and complained that the motorman nr-d conductor were responsible for his fall, and-demanded medical expenses and some compensation. When the testimony of the witnesses whoso names had been taken was obtained, the liability was repudiated. In another case a man went to headquarters and in bombastic fashion demanded immediate compensation for damage dorp by a car coming into contact with his horse. The report wns at onco turned up, and ac a result the complainant was informed that it wrvn ho who had been to blame, and the Tramways wanted compensation from him for damage done to the rolling stock.

Such "accident claims" are constantly being received. Somp people, apparently, if they prick their finger within a chain of a tramway lino, write ard claim compensation, and that is what makes the system, of irveMism+nig everything with the semblance of an accident diroctly it occurs, and while it is fresh in witnesses' mint!*, of so much importance to the Board's finances as well sv? to officers who may or may rot have shown contributory rcjzligerce.

Even in genuine cases florae Tronic appear to j»o on the principlo of making a good big claim with a liberal "margin" for compromise, for when the matter comes to bo investi<rr>+«~d the amount asscsped is oft«n very considerably , less than that first asked. Ono example — tho claim was settled vrhilft I happened to b~ nt the Tramway head offices—was for £100. The settlement effected was £15 and £2 odd for costa. DEFECTIVE MEMORIES. One of the worries of the conductors is that there are people who will evade payment if they can. Possibly somo of th-em forsct that tinder tho by-laws-tho responsibility of paying the fare rests with the passenger, and although tho conductor is supposed to see ■ that he gets the fare, the passenger is liable to prosecution if he does not pay when he has opportunity to do co { oven if he has not been asked. That is a form of memory lapse that the management contemplate curing by a course of mnemonics before Mr Bishop, S.M., in certain particularly sad cases. FOLK WHO LOSE THINGS. But the most remarkable of all the curious idiosyncrasies of the public in its relations to the tramways is its habit of leaving its belongings in the cars—and then blaming some one cl-«s for their loss. It is quite understandable that on a sea voyage, especially a rough sea voyage, there are people who

V iFT 6 ™ aD F tnin S« ft" 010 **«* teeth i to their immortal souls; who would give i up the very boots from tbcir feet— tf : vhey woro not lacod on. But thie nabit or parting with things is loss understandable on a train, and very much Jess so on a brief tram journey. Agam it is tho fair box that is the most forgetful, and the most prone to blanie come one clso for tho result. Elaborate precautions are takun to ensure that the people who leave their goods about in this careless fashion do not suffer moro loss than ie avoidable. First of all, jt is tho duty of the conductor, if ho sees the article before some too acquisitive passenger does, to hand it on to the lost luggage department at headquarters. The check system starts right away. Tho conductor is required to enter on his "jonrnoy waybill" the nature and circumstances of tho find, and the name of the officer to whom ho bands the article. At the head office a list is niado of these entries, in duplicate, and they are. checked back, so that once that initial entry is made by the conductor it 19 hardly possible for the article to go astray. To each article a number i» given, and for that number the officer in charge, of lost luggage- has to account, either by receipt from' the owner on its being or by its production for the annual sale.

IMAGINE IT! For the year ending .uarch 31st last there were over 1000 articles so handed in. Of those, 270 were ladies' umbrellas, 144 of them good ones, and there were 32 parasols—3o2 umbrellas and parasols left by the forgetful fair — and wo may feel quite euro that in a great many cases the owners eignahsed the discovery of their loss by- accusing someone elso of stealing them. Against that 332, only two men's umbrellas were loft, and neither were of much account, but possibly tho 13 walkingsticks were mainly men's, though in these days of ladies , stick-carrying, that is not at all certain. Six ladies' coatt 8 woollen ehawls, 14 muffs, il boas, makes another score of 33 to the ladies' tally, against arly 13 men's and 11 boys' overcoat* But what about 4 pairs of trouseis? How did their owners get home? It is not easy to solve the sex problem in regard to 142 bags and kits —but 23 string bags, 16 packets, 2 dress baskets, 6 Maori kits, and 7<5 poggy bags have a suspiciously feminine savour, and they account foT 118 of the total. Tho 19 leather bags may or may not have been masculine.

WHAT OF THESE? And what about tho eiderdown quilt r The 3 white shirts, and 40 linen collars? Tho 22 pairs of goloshes? The new Methodist and Congregational hymn books? Tho7 pairs'of gold specs, and 5 pairs of humbler steel i . The four bead necklaces —might have been pearl? Tho 111 purees? The 3 pairs of pyjamas (ono of them with tho missing)? Tho new gluo pot? Alt th( keys—think of the heart-burnings when tho lady accused hubby of mislaying the door-key? Tho music-stand and the music? The "Tjrass curtain-rails"? The two tobacco pouches? The autograpl book? The go-carts, the teeth, the hair? Only a iow are obviously masculine. Noto that only one man left his. bills, only one man left his "new glue pot/ , only one man left the "ball-cock for cistern." But the ~oy Scout who left his "water-bottle and two signalling flags" can hardly have developed the "Scout memory" that Baden Powell talks about.

HARD CASES. ■■' Sometimes the people who lose these things arc not contented merely to gei them back—large numbers of them'jari never claimed, and are auctioned after being kept not less than six months in tho lost property department. Take «". recent case. A conductor found *. peggy-bag in his car with about £1' ir. money. It was duly handed in to the office, and in due course recovered bj its owner. She didn't leave anything for the conductor. Instead, she putin a claim on the Board for-is "damage to bag while in the possession of the Tramways." Of ,a different type was the occasion when a neat package, well wrapped ii American cloth, and carefully strapped witbf rug etraps, "was found in a car ana brought in. Presently a most subtly unpleasant o<}our began to pervade the office.' The drains came under suspicion. The cleaners were questioned as to the'thoroughness of their work. Disinfectants were used. Yet the odour grew. The staff began to sniff at each other disgustedly and auspiciously. -Finally someone with a nose for locality arrived at the neat package. Investigation revealed the fact that the contents were the refuse of eomebody'b table being carried home for the foivU Since then no parcel nan nass c. its looks. They, don't judge- the uackage by its cover. .. > . •

"I'LL REPOItT YOU!" Tho wiitten complaints received from the public average about half a dozen a. month, and, like everything else in connexion with the' service, they axe carefully dealt • with, and tabulated. They include "failure to bring cai to a standstill for passenger," "Impertinent to writer's wife," "Incivility)" 'impertinence and side-bar down on wrong side/ "Impertinence and passenger over-carried," "Not waiting to Jj'ik up passenger," "Failing to eefc dowfi passengers at right destination," "Refusing to give name," "Wrong change,' "Leaving terminus Ahead of time,' "Refusing to assist passengers wit! push-carts and children." Mostly though, it..;is "Incivility." Each com plaint is carefully enquired into,-ant where it is found to bo justified pun ishmont is made as far as possible tr"fit the crime." A good many of th< complaints are found "not justified.' ■ In others there is an entry on the employee's record, and fetich penalties a' "three days on spare, list," "fourteen days on snare list," "three days or. broken shift and -warned against rope tition," indicate the result. "Spar< Ir,t" does not refer to a shortening ol tho offender's diet., nor does "broten shift , ' hstokert any mediaeval torture Evidently many cornplninta are mad* 1 while annoyance is fresh, and as complainants cool down they become morr considerate , , for when the conductor's explanation in secured and Eent to complainants with a request for further i comment-, nothing more is heard from them. Apropos of my investigations into these thines, Mr Thompson pointed out that while it is desirable that onssengers should complain when they have good promuls for complaint it is equally desirpb'.e fhat tho stnff should be justly dent with in sveh matters, pnd "so an officer hns been ap pointed to soft personally the partl< * concerned and thoroughly sift_ cornptaints wh<v*» f>e explanation fhen i< not- regarded by the conynlawsmfc &f satisfactory. • if t*ns does not cpffip it. there ]■= ci"Tlet*» procerlure that I nr.rratci on Saturday.