THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 36, 6 November 1907, Page 2

THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS

THE CAR STRENGTH. ' AN ADDITIONAL CAR-SHED REQUIRED. With tlio advent 'of summer weather,' one.is, consciously or otherwise I ,.forced into ■' thinking of pleasure-seeking. This is doubt- ' loss what Shakespeare called " midsummer-, madness" ; but it is not an undesirablo sensation to wish to,.jump on a car and hie with; all speed to ,t-h<j, ocfiau.rbeacli, .and -.thero enjoytlio ozono. and'sprawl en deshabille on the warm' sands. >jit isijust a . healthy seasonal; feeling that is good' to encourage—if one can-, afford it'. .„' J . ;.. . . ,-, . Tlio, electric j cars; play , a .'very importfint.-. part nowadays ill our summer junketings,, arid r ,as such places of calm retreat' as'Mir'amar, Seatoun,' and Karori' will be availablo for fresh-air trippers, this summer,' the questton of cars is'an'important consideration'. Each Saturday and Sunday afternoon obviously'demonstrates that we have not the number of' cars yet to deal with abnormal traffic. As a matter of fact, the traffic swells on certain" occasions to such dimensions that double the numbers of cars would not take the people , who wish to rido, and it would be economiostupidity to lay out the money on cars that might only bo fully requisitioned a fow times during tlio year. Those people who fail to get seats ,on .such occasions never fail to doal; out. unmeasured criticism, and such sarcasticromarks as ." tovoly management!" "Our great tramway system I" leak out because, the personal.comfort or convenience of the'speaker suffers. Our Car Strength. Tho City. Council-is not to blame'for'any ■ shortage that might bo experienced in "pish ; times";. indeed, the year that is drawing to ' a close has be6u a' busy ono for the car-' builders of the city, as a comparison with our present strength and that, at the begin-; tho year shows. In January last the* city had tho following cars available for service:— . ■ . 1 Type. , ' Capacity. ■ Ttl.'' 13 Box cars 24 • 312 v- ; "Decker" Box cars • 56 - ■ 8405 Hong Kongs . : : 40"'' .200* 11 ■ Combination cars ... ..." 56'' 618' 2 Side-door Palaco (small)' ... 40 1 ' 880'' ' 2 Side-door Palaco (large) 60 120: 48 cars carrying ... ... 2168'' To-day tho cars availablo'for tho track are' as follows:— , Type. Capacity.' .Ttl.., 13 Box cars ' 24' .312. 15 "Decker" Box cars ' ... 56; 840' 11 Combinations .V. '56 .' 616.1 5 Hong Kongs ' ... ... 40 , ; 200/' 2 Side-door Palace (small) ... 40. ,'7Bol--9 Side-door Palace (largo) ... 60 540,.' 6 Side-door Palace (deckers)..' 105 „Q3O V . 61 cars carrying ... ... ... 3218. New Cars. It'will bo seen from this that a genuine, effort, lias been made to copo with the increased .traffic. As a further earnest of this, tho City-. Council authorised : the building or twonty additional cars of tho largo Palaco type some -,wcoks ago, and ono of 'these nas - already been placed on tho track (and is included in . tho' above figures), and another will bo ready at the end. of the week. Six ' other car-bodies have also been completed and transferred to tho car-shed at Nowtown, where they await the tinder-trucks that have - been late shipped. Tho extra half-dozen ' large cars should bo ready for service ir about four, or .'fivq. weeks—in ample time foi the Christmas traffic. Another Car-shed 'Wanted. It will come.'wit-h .surprise,, even to' thos» who follow tramway matters closely, tlearn that thoro is a scarcity, of "sleeping* . accommodation for the. cars in tho vast shei at Newtown, and that, allowing room for th« • car-bodies that havo to be fitted at the shed (where thero is a workshop and proper, pits), it is becoming a tight squeezo to take all the cars in after tho day's run. Tho authorities have become seized with tho necessity'of providing more car-shed ac- . commodation. It is not, however, proposed to onlargo tho present shed at .Newtown, but for tho sako of convenience and economy , to establish another shed at ono of .the to mini, preferably at Thorndon. Tho advantage of having a car-shed at. Thorndon, is obvious, for at present, if oxtra cars, are , needed at ■ that end of tho city to convoy ■ people south, they havo to corao.oniptv all the way front tho farthest extremity of New-. ', town. This means that tho cars aro using power and tho men are ontploycd during : such time as would not bo tlio case woro.! thoro sheds at tho northern ond of tho city. Tho sito difficulty is a serious ono, and serious thought is boing given to tho matter of establishing the second car-shed at Ji.ilbirnio, which might havo claims equal with , thoso of Thorndon, if tho prospective growth-' of Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Minmiar, and ' ' i Marantti is givon consideration. It is probablo that tJio matter of a second car'shed ■ will bo considered at tho Council meeting, to bo hold to-morrow evening.