TRAMWAY FINANCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1494, 17 July 1912, Page 6

TRAMWAY FINANCE.

ELOQUENT FIGURES. AN INTERESTING REVIEW. Some illuminating statistics on tho city tramway finances are set forth in a report by the Tramway Board, which has been prepared for tho information of city councillors in connection with the special meeting of the council this evening. Study in Contrasts, Comparative statistics with regard to the revenue show that tho tramway" receipts per car-mile increased from 12.59 d. in tli6 period 1005-6 to H.GGd. in the period 1911-12, as against which tho working expenses, at per car-mile increased from 8.78 d. in 1005-6, to 10.56 d. in 1011-12. The following table of contrasts is interesting ;— 1905-6 1011-12. Traffic cxs.: Total .£32,572 .£53,887 l'or car-mile 5.31 d. 5.69 d. General exs.: Total .... , .£3,71!! £7,983 Per car-mile 60d. .79d. Repairs and maintenance; , Total .£9,595 .£24,028 Per car-mile 1.56 d. 2.43 d. Power exs.: Total .£7,985 .£18,275 Per car-milo 1.30 d. 1.63 d. » 1912-53—Estimated Deficit. The'! net sui-plus in the separate vears of the period 1005-1912 rose from £13G2 in 1905-0 to .£6225 in 1910-11, but in 191112 there was a slump—to £2220. Tho capital invested stood at £374,763 in 1905C, rising to ,£614,535 in 1911-12. For the period 1912-13, tho estimated net surplus is £882. An actual loss of £105 ia oxpected on tho tramways, • but an anticipated credit of ,£987 provides a set-oil. £31,290 in Concessions, The aggregate value of all tho concessions which have been made to the travelling public since tho cars commenced running totals no less than ,£31,290, analysed as follows :— Workers' Tickets, Value. Year. . £ 190 C 725 1997 ',< 810 ' ' 1908 .: 1083 1909 1327 1910 .'. 135* 1911 , 1400 1912 , 4709 Total .£11,438 School Tickets. Year. ; £ 1906 18 1907 391 1908 633 1909 692 1910 701 1911 ■. 713 1912 755 Total '. £3523 Penny-Halfpenny Tickets. £ 1907 .: 473 1908 1399 1909 IG6II 1910 ....' .' 000 1911 : IG7' 1912 27 " , , Total £4625 The issue of IJd. tickets has been considerably curtailed during the last three years. , ".-.■■ Concession Tickets. .£ 1910 801 1911 1669 1912 , 1822 Total : £4312 Increase.of Wages—Nearly Id. a Milc. ( , The average earnings cf motormon and conductors at tho present time are £3 Bs. Gd. and £3 os. 6d. respectively. In 1905 they were £3 Is. 4d. and A3 13s.— respective increases, therefore, since 1905 of Bs:' to 'inotormen and Bs. 4d, to conductors. Calculated, oil'tho present miniher of men, this means an increase in wages of £5550 per annum, or .Gd. per car mile over (he whole system. The total increases in- wages to men since the inception of tho service amounts to, approximately, £7500 per annum, or nearly Id. per car mile.

ANOTHER DEPUTATION. , TRADES COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR. A deputation from the Wellington Trades and Labour Council interviewed the Mayor (Mr. D. M'Larcn) yesterday afterncoh with regard to the proposal of, the City Tramway Board to amend the tramway sections and scale of fares. Mr. M. J. Rea.rdon, tho principal speaker, said that the idea of increasing the' charges to those who used the trams was not the best or. soundest system of .placing the enterprise upon a safe fiua'ticial footing. Losses sustained by tho extensions should be, in part, provided for by contributions from the private owners whose land was augmented in vnluo bv the construction of the line, On tho showing of the City Electrical Engineer in' his comprehensive report of May 29, , 1911, the system was capable of paying a. profit, but, said the speaker, such works ' as tramway extensions should have been raid for out of' capital. This proposal to increase the fares was just another characteristic'attack upon the working man. The sum of XI3OO had been voted lastyeai to the tramway officials for increases of salaries, but lio-indication hod been given as to who got the increases. Again,' the salaries of inspectors absorbed JCIOSQ, but had they justified their existence by detecting that amount of leakage P Mr Reardon also suggested flint'the people of , Wellington, with the corporation of the Citv Council, should initiate a movement for" the construction of a Hutt Valley hydro-electric power supply scheme, which' would ensure n saving to the city of thousands of pounds per annum. Mr. W. T. Young protested that the burden of the increased faros would fall upon the working class Community at Newtown. He further declared that two inspectors would bo quite adequate tor tho arduous ''responsibility of detecting leakages of about £b per annum in faros, a task which required at present a staff Of six inspectors. , Mr. W. C. Noot drew tho attention Of the Mayor to tho fact, which had come to his knowledge, that a system of retrenchment was being quietly proceeded with at tho car-sheds, where over .twenty men had been discharged. If there wm need for retrenchment, the council should go into'it. The proper place to begin such a schema was at tho top, with tho hish-snlaried officers—not ot the bottom, with the worker There was great dis- - content, among the men at tho car-sheds over men being retrenched in the dead of winter. Again, at the power-house, lv was informed that there.wero eight engineers to sixteen mciv—two men to each ensineer. This did not seem to be right. In his reply, the Mayor said that he was determined to face tho question of reorganisation in the spirit cf olio charged with tho interests of the public, and Iho would do so without fear or favour. As a general principle ho deprecated any interference by tho Mayor or Council with the offioers or matters affecting tho internal arrangement of the system. Ho was not going to attempt to satisfy anv particular persofi or section, but do what he deemed to lie the right thill!; to do to plare the Tramway Department upon a. proper fooling. Ineyeares of salary to the staff'and the men bad, among other things, inrren.?«rt tho expenditure, and (his increase in expenditure had to be met somehow. With regard to Mr. Noot's complaint about retrenchment, of men at (lie, enrsheds, tho Mavor said that men would not be Hi?.penned with unless there was no work for them to do. „.,„■, M<V'Xoot: We don I want our experience of liinii over again diirin? your term of office. Tho Mavor agreed. 1 hey would $<*», however, flint it was not .business to employ men for whom there was no work. In conclusion, he assured the deputalir.n of his earnest desire to do the right thing by all classes of tho community, while conserving the' interests of the tramway enterprise at tho same time.