TRAMWAY BOARD.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 4

TRAMWAY BOARD.

_ « REVENUE IMPROVING. The Tranrw»y Board met yesterday afternoon. Present: Messrs A. S. Taylor (chairman), John Wood, Geo. T. Booth, D. Sykes, W. J. Walter, H. Pearce, J. A. Flesher, and E. W. White. Apology was made for the absence of the Hon. Mr Barr, M.L.C. The Works and Traffic Committee reported that application had been made to the licensing authority for a bus service from North Beach to the Oity, but with no stops in the Wainoni district. The petrol tax would Increase the Board's expenses by £720. Regarding the one-man ears on St. Martins line, the returns showed no diminution in receipts as the result of the experimental service, but a satisfactory decline in expenses at the rate of £660 per annum. Revenue Account. Th» committee further reported:— "For the four weeks ended September 18th, 1937, passengers carried exceeded those in the corresponding period last year by 29,327. Earnings increased £lB2, while operating expenses were down £873. A more interesting record is for a longer period; — April Ist, the beginning of the financial year, to September 18th, nearly six months. Passengers on the tramways had increased by 341,067, and earnings by £2138. On the operating side, the principal items were:—. Traffic expenses, decrease £347; general expenses, decrease £253; repairs, passenger cars, decrease £346; repairs, buses, decrease £760; repairs, locos., rollers, etc., increase £425; power coats, owing to increased Government charges, had increased £709. When other miscellaneous items were taken into account, the net earnings of the whole system showed an increase of £1079. "Owing to decreased expenses, and_ a slight improvement in receipts, the deficiencies on four bus services' had decreased from £934 to £512 for the six months, but the fifth service (viz., Avonside), not running for the same period last year, showed a deficiency of £391. Taking the five bus services together, the deficiency was £903." The chairman, replying to Mr Walter, said that if the licensing authority granted the Board's application, the North Beach-City bus service would be an extra one, and the existing service between Burwood and North Beach would be continued. The report was adopted. Balance-sheet. The Auditor-General returned the balancesheet of the Board certified as correct, with the exception that there was no statutory authoritv for the temporary 'advance of £I6OO to the district fund account from the loan account. The general manager (Mr Frank Thompson) said that the transfer was made to the district fund to meet various charges for which the loan account was responsible. For this purpose £1326 was used, and the balance, £274, was paid back to the loan account before the financial year closed.