TRAMWAY BOARD

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16265, 16 July 1918, Page 4

TRAMWAY BOARD

YESTERDAY'S MEETING

The bi-monthly meeting of the Christchurch Tramway Board was held yesterday afternoon. Present: —The Hon. J. Barr (chairman), and Messrs S. A. Staples, T. H. Davey, H. Pearce, W. J. Waiter, D. Sykes, and G. T. Booth. The spoiinl order regarding the St. Martin's rate was passed, and it was decided to hold a mooting next month to confirm it. The Works and Traffic Committee reported that it had expressed to tho engineer and the power station staff its appreciation of tne good work done by them in maintaining the car services during the week of tiie Lake Coleridge trouble, and in supplying other power to the. Public Works Department in accordance with the agreement with that Department. The circumstances wore abnormal, but they illustrated _ the wisdom of the old Board in retaining its steam plant as a stand-by when it contractcd to obtain lake current for tramway purposes. The committee had completed arraugements with the Lyttel ton' Harbour Board, under which that Board would occupy the top flat of the Board's new offices . for seven years at the mutually satisfactory rent of £250 per annum, including rates and heating.—The report was adopted. The Woolston Borough Council wrote complaining that spccial privileges were given to Sumner passengers in the trams at, the expenso of Woolston passengers. With regard to this _ complaint, the chairman said he was inclined to think that the complainants were making a mistake in the car they spoke of. Both ho and the general manager were on the 6.15 p.m. car spoken of and no one was ordered off that. Reports from the motorman and conductors of this car were put in, showing that no one had been ordered off this car. Mr Sykes said he had some sympathy with Woolston passengers, wlio, if strangers, were carried oh past their destination on the express right to Clifton. He. thought "that the' express to. Sumner should be' taken off, or scheduled to stop at all stops. It was decided to got further information regarding the complaint. Mr Sykes moved that copies of the solicitor's opinion regarding ■ tho special rating areas" should be. supplied to Messrs Walter and--Wood. Mr Skyes stated that he intended to move later that the Board defend the action in tho Supreme Court. The chairman said any member of the Board could obtain all the information he wanted from the general manager. Mr A. S. Taylor said ho had been informed that an extremely inadequate and inaccurate roll of. ratepayers, had 1 been furnished to the Board's returning officer by the Kiccarton Borough Council at the last Tramway Board election. The duty of'the .local body clerks was to return a correct roll, but it "was alleged that the Riccarton roll was incomplete, not having on it the names of people who were entitled to be there, and having the names of people who ■were not in the district at all. He moved: "That the attention of the Riccarton Borough Council be drawn to the unsatisfactory roll of ratepayers supplied to the Tramway Board s officers during the recent election." Both Mr Staples and Mr Sykes saidthat the rolls of all local bodies were open to the same criticism. In some cases the names of people who had been dead for years were still on the roll. _ Mr Thompson said, so far as the city roll was concerned, it was as complete and accurate as it could possibly be. Mr Taylor said he agreed that most rolls had mistakes in them, but in tho case of Riccarton lie asserted that a most inaccurate roll had been supplied to the Board's returning officer. It was decided to leave the matter in abeyance, pending the receipt of a report from the general manager on the matter. . _ Mr W. J. Walter gave notice of motion that he would move: "That a war bonus be paid to the motormen and conductors of the Board, bringing their wages up to a rate of lis per. day."