The Tramways.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18902, 18 January 1927, Page 6

The Tramways.

The majority of citizens will be glad to have it made clear—as the Chairman of the Tramway Board made it clear yesterday—that the retiring Chairman's belief in rating to make up any deficiency on the operating of the tramways is not supported by the Board. "The settled policy of the " Board," Mr Taylor says, " has been " that the tramway undertaking should " pay its way as a trading concern," and he added, on his Own behalf, that nothing will persuade him that municipal trading undertakings should not be self-supporting. We are glad to hear the Chairman proclaiming this sound doctrine, which ought not now to stand in any further need of defence, but which evidently does, or Ave should not have had the late Chairman expressing approval of the opposite theory. There are two main grounds on which one should insist that State- 1 or municipal trading enterprises should pay. The first is, that if the services rendered are. rendered at a loss, a section of the community (i.C, the ratepayers or the payers of direct taxation) is paying for. other people. The seoond is, that if the ratepayers can be called upon to make up deficiencies, there must be a weakening of the incentive to efficiency in management. The Chairman speaks hopefully of tho prospects of tho tramways, and suggests that by the end of the' financial year (March 31st) tho result Will "reassure" the public. Everyone will hope that this expectation will be realised. There is, however, one point which ought to be noted. The Chairman referred to tho cost Of maintaining the road surfaces adjacent to the tram lines, and oho member of the Board said it was "only fair" that motorcar owners who use the streets kept in order by. the Board should be rated. There is no reason why one class of the publio rather than another should be singled out for taxation of this kind. There is, of course, no reason why anyone should pay the Board anything for maintaining the road surface adjacent to the- tram lines. As a matter of fact the service rendered l>y the Board in thia particular—Mr Taylor Says i«i is worth £IO,OOO a year—is

only a fraction of what the public could rightly charge the Board for the privilege of laying rails in the public streets. The Board has far the best of it. '