THE OTHER SIDE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 861, 6 July 1910, Page 9

THE OTHER SIDE

—: j. . ■ • TRAMWAYMEN'S ALLECED GRIEVANCES. THE QUESTION OF SL'EED. Mr.' Stuart Richardscin (tramways manager) and Mr. Cable (assistantmanagor) wero soon yesterday by a Dominion representative with regard to statement's made by the tramways employees' representatives at a deputation to the Hon. It. M'Keuzie- on Monday evening. In tlie courso of tho interview Mr. Sutherland, president of tho Now Zealand Tramways' Federation, and an cs-employec of tho Wellington tramways, stated that a conductor had been dismissed for having wrong tickets on his ear, and it was found afterwards that there had been a mistake- in the printing. This statement was given an absolute denial, and characterised as absurd. Another speaker had stated tho Hong-Kong and Palace cars should not bo used in narrow streets owing to the risk conductors ran whilst collecting fares. Mr. ltichardson stated, in answer to this, that the Palaco car had been found by experience to bo tho ideal car for Wellington, and was the class of car which the- city corporation had boon building ever since the initiation of tho service. In Auckland these cars had an' aisle down the centre, but only quite recently this had been strenuously objected to because of tho great inconvenience undergone by the public by the conductors pushing through to collect faros when, as so very often happened in every city, tho cars were crowded and the- aislo was blocked with passengers. Another objection to the centre aisle lay in tho fact that the Wellington cars were tho narrowest in tho Dominion, and to provide 2jft. for a. passage would reduce tho seating accommodation to a ridiculous minimum. Motorman Faire, at the deputation, emphasised the difficulties under which rnotormen labour. If there was a mishap, even although the gear were at fault, a motorman was usually disrated. Ho gave figures relating to the speeds on various routps in this city as follow •. —Government Station In Island Iky, 20 miles; Newtown to Karori, 17 miles; Karon to Gardens, 26 miles; Clyde Quay to Lambton Station, 30 miles; Rintoul Street to Island Bay, 23!: miles. Tho lowest average speed it had been found was over 10 miles pur hour. This statement is characterised as almost too ridiculous in its inaccuracies to ho replied to. Mr. Cable pointed out that, tinder ■ the Ordcr-in-Couneil, cars were not permitted to run at a speed exceeding 15 miles an hour in tho city and Karori borough, and at no greater speed than 18 miles per hour in Miramar borough, and the time-tables had necessarily boon drafted on that basis of speed, stopping timo, of courso, being taken into consideration. There was an even better answer to the allegations made respecting Hie S])ccd of oars, and. that was that the motors of tho cars would not permit of such speed being made. The maximum speed that a car could travel on the flat 'was under 20 miles an hour, so that the talk of 2fi, 30, and 23} miles was mere exaggeration. All tho motorman had to do was to keep time-tab]e time, and that did not call for speed above 15 miles an hour; if that speed were exceeded—wliich was not probable —who was answerable . but the motormen themselves? Great speeds could ho made downhill, but that was not permitted. On all tho chief down-grades, suoh as Duppa Street, Pirio Street, Brooklyn, Wallace Street, Rintoul Street, and Mount Road (Karori), thoro wore .notices limiting tho speed to 7Jmiles an hour, which effectively disposed of any dosiro on the part of tho tramways authorities to speed up.