TRAMWAY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 585, 13 August 1909, Page 6

TRAMWAY REFORM.

THE AMENDED FARES AND SECTIONS.

-REPORT REFERRED BACK AGAIN,

: Following on tho report of Mr. Smart : ; Richardson, engineer and manager of tho tramways, on proposed changes in fares and ; / sections, which report was submitted to tho. ? 'City Council n fortnight ago, 'and was res'-- feiTed baok for further consideration,' ; Mr. ; , - Richardson brought down a further report to last night's meeting of the council realfirm- . . : ing tho proposals; and explaining them more : fully... The report ran"ln. reporting further on the question of faros and sections, I J have-to point out . that the schomo recoui- ■; mended by . me. is* in my opinion, the best concession, that tho council is now in. tho ; position to make. This scheme is. apparently v-Biisunderstood by some councillors.' The24-tnp . tickets proposed ,aro in- every sense residents'. tickets, ana are intended to .givo a discount . to persons regularly travelling on the cars.' ; ?Tho representations made by the Island-Bay, H'deptitation! showed-.that a monthly. or; other similar'.form'jof ticket' covering a '"consider'i able number .of ; rides would ,quito meet with .their yequiroments. The suggested ticket giving 24 rides is, I consider,' the ticket that should be adopted as giving the minimum i number of ridos compatible with-the" reservation of-concession'rights to residents 'only. I • ; If the council dccidos to.issuo a 12-trip ticket ; : the result will be that a considerable numu flor .of more or . less casual riders, will avail '5 themselves of thetconcession, to the detri- • mont of the revenue., Some of the councillors were of the opinion, I understand, that ■■ these tickets should be transferable. I. must state 'in tho strongest .terms;, that' 'a serious ; : mistake will be* made if >this idea is adopted. It will mean destroying the ticket check to . such an extent that ticket„inspection, will ; become a f arce, and the tjamway officials ..' .will bo unable to efficiently carry out their duties, so far as tho collection'of'fares is concerned. Another.objection is that, v if 12-trip ■ transferable tickets are available,- it will : mean that-casual riders in small parties, on a. holiday will purohase 12-ride tickets, and ji V 'pass' them among them&elvesy getting their day's outing at the samo low rate as is,:o- ---• commended for tho resident who rides daily, . 1 and who is the mainstay of. the business. In Dunedin, Is.':concession, tickets arc. issued, transferable, and good.for 14 penny sections, y '^The.authorities.'there,.'however, have found . rfroni practical experience, that;: they are most unsatisfactory, and., in this connection I havo to quote from a letter'received from. •Mr. Alexander, the manager, on this.matter. -. He says: 'From experience, I find that tho '/^concession^tickets,'being .'transferable, . are! ;;k against, the■ best interests' of' the', service.' With regard to the proposed abolition of tho 6d. transfer return tickets,'.! regret that; a : . . a councillor urged, its retention, as I bad made :: ituquite. clear :.in my previous reports that the council! could not afford- to extend concessions whilst, .this ticket was. in vogue. I . inust again "say. ;that .' the; * privilegesgiveii' by this ticket are abused; which results i y -in a very considerable loss of revenue, as the I ;V;. ofticket.:;precludes v any. efficient ''ticket I .'check; either.. by conductors, . 0r,.. inspectors. [Apart fronk this aspect, it means that casual ■ uders are being given an< equal concession ! ■ with the constant residential riders. In; re- - . viewing the - whole of my previous -; recoin- ■ mendatious, I ;beg to state emphatically, that / this form of ticket; and-also the card cour must be .abolished if - concessions ' to . residents are to bo made without • serious ■: vr losses to .the v revenue. I have, therefore,' again; to recommend, that tickets in- the 'form 1 t ; Eet out in'my previous Teport be brought into ; nso.' If this scheme as a whole is not acceptable ito the council, I would suggest that ; the present, scale. of; oharges ■ be- continued, ■ as.-:.tne tramways .'revenue, is -at present>• far ; . from ''buoyant, the net. result for tho 'first r£^^ffiisteen'';weeks i in; this; year -showing; a small a. .debit -balance;«as against a credit balance of , .-> over £1000 for ,the -same;",period last year, "•and under these circumstances I submit the ,; council will bo Ul-advised m granting any . ■ concessions which would further decrease tho revenue."

. , .jjCouncillorDevjne movedan amendment -in .; jfSVou'rof ;. : the pretention of *: the 6d. ,return ... tickets on-the. Island Bay . route. . ■ .'"■■■• Councillor Hfri'dmarsh said tho scheme should 'be adopted as • a wholo. Councillor.Frost.thought the present time . ' wa-s inopportune for.the; new;'scheme. -It was .should• have" to'.buy 'at • '-. fest os. t 6d. worth of tickets in order 1 to get a concossion. / ,, f : Councillors .Fletcher, Morrah, and Ballinger favoured tho report. - ; . Councillor Devine's amendment was c%r- . • fied on the casting voto of- tho Mayor. : ..'■ Councillor Ballinger moved itihat the re- 1 port bo-referrod back- to -.the Tramways Corn- : jK; : ;initt^\agaihVß^^ Counoillor,'Fletcher- thought that by :cMTy- -: Ing /tho-.-amendment- the ".council had - gone -.ported-tho referring, back/of the report. . •: - Councillor '-Shirtcliflo. :,spoke . -in' • similar - 'Bjjram.-Y'The engineer had brought down a ■ scheme which 'he -had' considered in all its : bearings. He understood from N the ; engineer ;that• a loss of-£7OO or .£BOO a' yejir -would :; resillt froni t-ho carrying of- the amendment. :' The engineer 'would., not'; take the respon sir- ■::. bHity : for^the; schemer if -'it was "not/carried ■ out"absolutely as' it^steod; ■ 5H© <(the'; speaker! . thought substantial reasons had, been advanced why tho report should be adopted as ~ ; it stood.Councillor Devino did not see why so small ;an should upset' the'"whole scheme,. If it would tho best thmg to do would be to ...cut'the:-.whole' scheme'.v'outii■'> : -■,- ■ .- - - Councillor-Morrah-supported the report of ; .; the-.'engineer, and -regretted that: the • amend'tho report was' fcbuncilfers - who • hadv'voted-for-'tM reteiitioh-of- the '6d. return V;. tickot would opinion before next meeting,'when'the report would come "fortvard again. 1 Conncillors Atkinson, Hmldmarsh, Cohen; v';' : Fitzgerald, and Smith also spoke.' : : It'was decided to :refer tho"report back to the committee. .• - / - •