LESS REVENUE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19158, 15 November 1927, Page 8

LESS REVENUE.

CARNIVAL WEEK TRAM TRAFFIC. COMPETITION FROM MOTORS. Traffic on the trams during Carnival Week showed a decrease on that for the same period of 1926, as was disclosed by a report presented'to the Christchurch Tramway Board yesterday, which gavi the decline in revenue as £370. The complete figures, whichwere for the period November oth13th, were as follows: » . 1026. 1027. £ £ Sat. Eiccarton Races .. 1349 1280 Sun. .. .. 593 382 Mon. Eiccarton Eaces .. 860 «29 Tue. Addington Trots 1054 1021 Wed. Eiccarton Eaces .. 977 956 Thur. Addington Trots 1243 1252 Fri. Trots and Show .. 1947 2040 Sat. Eiccarton Eaces .. 1372 1172 Sun. .. .. 531 561 £9926 £9556 Decrease £370. Commenting on the figures, the chairman, Mr A. S. Taylor, said that the decrease on the day of the Tr.otting Cup was most significant. He had never seen more motor-cars gathered in one place than there were on the trotting grounds and in the streets outside, and nothing like it had been seen at Eiccarton. There was a record crowd, yet the receipts had gone down. A word of appreciation was due to the executive officers and traffic staff for the way in which the business had been handled. There were no mishaps. It was noteworthy that at such times more people were lifted by the Christchurch trams than any other organisation in New eZaland could attempt to lift. They had reason to congratulate themselves. "Close to the Wind.'.' Mr D. Sykes said he had never seen such traffic as on the first day of the trots. "It is the motor-cars that are killing us," he said. "We have been sailing pretty close to the wind for a long time." He said they had something to think about in the loss of £7723 last year on the carriage of passengers.

Mr Frank Thompson (General Manager) said he would like to express appreciation of the work of the police and traffic inspectors. Mr Taylor said they had co-operated splendidly, especially at the entrances to the Show Ground and Trotting Ground.

It is interesting to note that conductors reported that very few strangers used the trams in Carnival Week this year. Th'i record takings for Show Day were £2267 in 1922.

INCREASED RAILWAY TRAFFIC. Although all the returns have not yet been made up, sufficient progress has been made with the figures by the railway officers to show that Carnival Week traffic was considerably greater this year than in 1926.