TRAMWAY REGULATIONS

Press, Volume L, Issue 14974, 22 May 1914, Page 4

TRAMWAY REGULATIONS

■• OVERCBOWDrNG OF CARS. (srECIAL TO "THE THESS.'"* BUXEDIX, May 21. Tho new tramway regulations aro being issued by the Government aud submitted to the various tramway managements by instalments.

It is understood that tho regulation dealing with overcrowding limits the extra loading ou any car to 50 per cent, in oxecss of tho car's testing capacity. In Dunediu it is estimated that improvements, alteration and extending, will necessitate borrowing £40,000. This includes the . purchase of motor-buses, th© building of additional cars, alterations to tho carsheds to house the extra cars, and tho ; duplication of tho lines. The chajr- ; man of tho Tramways Committee (Councillor Myers), in an interview today, {.-aid that tho new regulations necessitated, certain' structural alterations which entailed a certain losg of cents. In combination cars it means a los? of four "seats per oar, and in open care ten seats per car. It has boon the practice in the Dunedin service to uso the front, seats in combination cars, which carry four passengers, and it has always been understood that tho regulations would still permit of the*© coats being .used. Hr Myers added that to his creat surprise a portion of tho regulations which had been » 1 .-.warded by the Minister did not allow the uso o£ these seats, thereforo their seating capacity would bo reduced still further by four seats per car. 'Not on'y would they loso this actual s?ating capacity but trey would also lose their "ercontag© which had been fixed a-i 50 per cent, under-tho regulations recently issued. The hvrislaticn and tho regulations combined j lessened thoir seating capacity to such , an extent that to net tho .department cv the same footing as at present it would require an expenditure of £24.C00 That was for additional cars, aud it did not inc'udo tho oxpendituro that wou'd bo entai'ed in altering the car-shods to houso them. Tho standing charges on that- arronnt camo to no less a sum than £3360 per annum. Tho department had at < "present 49 cars, and to give tho service its pro*a?at total carrying capacity would mean the hui'ding of TS additional new cars. Mr Myors explained that i f . was only on special occasions that all the c-tswco hrou l " v r ct. but thnfe to make up the hss daily in use won'd m°an that they would require 13 add'vional cars.

It conc'udincc. Mr My«»rs made it clear that if tho gross profits exce'dci S per cent, of tho capital expenditure, it would be imperative that' ih*y .should a sVi ! l : n?» ticket valid for 1 fourteen penny sections.