HUTT TRAM SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 962, 1 November 1910, Page 5

HUTT TRAM SCHEME.

BOARD FAVOURS ELECTRIC CARS. THEIR SEASONS "WHY, The following report, presented by the chairman of the Hutt Valley Tramways Board (Sir. J. W. M'Ewan) was approved of at a meeting of the board, hold at Petone last evening. The question, of running' motor buses on a tarred macadam track having been placed beforo the people of the Hutt as an alternative to tho scheme of tramways submitted by the board, the fol-lowing-statement of capital and running cost has been prepared by the chairman, and is based upon English experience so far as tho working of tho buses is concerned, and on tho estiniato of tho cost of tarred macadam roads submitted to the Petone Borough Council on October 30, 1007, by Mr. Cook, borough" engineer. As the buses are usually constructed to carry 30 passengers, the number of busses required will be 14, as against 10 tramoars. The tarred macadam estimated for is for a strip 23ft. wide, it being hopeless, in view of the right of road regulations, to expect motor buses to keep to Motor Service: Capital Cost £ 10 motor buses at .£ISOO, landed cost 15,000 Cleaning shed and repairs shop... 1,800 Tools, say 100 Cost of tarred macadam track over entire length of service... 01,500 Total „ . .£81,500 Working and Other Expenses. Petrol at Is. 3d. per gal 2,250 Wages— Drivers and conductors 4,392 . Manager 350 Repairs to track and one coat of tar and sand annually »,Sbll Tyre depreciation and renewals... 2,040 Cleaners, dispatcher, clerk,' printing, etc. _ 775 Depreciation on bnses, 10 per cent. (Home experience 20 per cent.) i. „. 2,100 Interest on ,£81,500, at 4} per cent. 3,607 Sinking fund .- — 815 ■ , £25,749 Note.—These buses carry 34 passengers each; tranicars, 48. How tho estimated revenue receivable on the Tramways Board scheme for a service equal to the bus service above estimated . for, so far as carrying passengers is concerned, is .£l4 2s. per '•irinum. Thero will thus be an annual loss of .£11,549 if the latest proposal to instal motor buses and provide an asphalt track is given effect to. It is out of the question to substitute a tarred and sanded track in lieu of. the tarred, macadam, and Petone experience is against such proposal. An English Opinion. To show, that none of the points in the above comparison have been unduly stressed, a reference to a similar comparison made by Mr. E. Manville, oi Leicester, proves that, even without allowing anything for a tarred macadam track, a serious loss must be faced on a motor bus service. His figures per car mile run for operating costs are:—Electrio tramways, 7.059 pence; motor buses, 10.086 ponce. Among the disadvantages of a motor bus service he mentions the following:—(1) High cost of operating. (2) Groat noise and inconvenience to other users of the road. (3) Smell and tho prevalanco of tho smoko from burnt oil. "(4) The ever-present danger of sideslip. (5) Tho dangor of fire. (0) Vibration. (7) Danger to other users of. tho road. (8) Irregularity. •In submitting this renort the Tramway Board feel that they Tiave proved conclusively that no scheme of motor buses can compare with a scheme of electric traction, such as that submitted for the approval of the ratepayers.