PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 6

PROTEST.

' ON INCREASED TRAM FARES. MEETING AT NEWTOWN. A public meeting was held in tho yiotoria Hall, Adelaide Koad, last night for the purpose of voicing a protest against the proposal to increase the tram fares by altering the sections. Mr. J. I'. Luke presided and there were about GO people present. Tho various speakers were enthusiastically received. The chairman said that they no doubt all agreed that in the past Nowtowu anu Constable- Street had liad "the big oud of tho stick" in train fares, and they would , have admitted the justice of a fifty per cent increase, but they could not atford the one hundred per cent increase which was now proposed. He suggested that tho new proposal would tend to congestion and thu creation of slums. Councillors Barber and Cameron were (ho considered) to bo congratulated on tho Bland which ' they had taken when tho matter was under discussion at the council meeting. Tho speaker suggested that,' l>etoro the tram faros had been incroasod, there should have been more careful examination of tho expenditure in order to ascertain whether or not some further saving could not have been oll'ectcd there, lho wholo question of concessions should, ho contended, bo overhauled from top to bottom. Mr. JG, Ludwig, convenor of tho meeting, said that, from the first, "matters tramway" had never satisfied him. Ho was going to put the question before them as it appeared to him. He referred to the fact that in "Mayor Wilford's timo" there hwl been 250. free passes in existonce. As a frequent traveller in tho' trams, ho had been sorely tempted when he had t observed tho number of free passes in ns.e. When he saw some of the city employees winking at tho conductors without ever showing a pass, it tempted him to be dishonest and wink too. (Laughter.) Referring to the new proposals, he considered it unfair that the south end of Wellington should bo victimised, whilo other parts went rejoicing. It was beyond ' comprehension how the Newtown section did not pay. He would stake his reputation as an accountant that, if he were associated with three other men to go through the figures, ho would ks nblc to point out the weak spot. Ho moved n resolution protesting against the incKeasc in train fftrea by the alteration in tft« Newtown and Constable Street routes as being against, the best interests of the city. Mr. Waters seconded the motion. Councillor Barber, who al« spoke, declared that liis opposition to tho proposal was not raised to prevent the tramway system from being placed on a sound basis. He did not believe that the members of the Tramway Board did not understand the effect of tho alterations. His amendment moved in the council had only been supported by Dr. Cameron and himself, a fact which showed that ; the other members of the council did not want tho question of economy inquired into. Tho new proposal was going to drive people from the outlying districts into congested city areas, and was eoing to raise opposition to the trams in tho way of bicycles. A number of people, who had used their bioycles at tho time of the strike and lad .laid them aside again; threatened to bring them into further requisition if tho tram fares were increased. Councillor Cameron saidthatouo of the most important questions was: . Whore should tho sections radiate fromP He considered that some should radiate from tho Post Office, but,,as tho real centre of the city was at the Royal Oak Hotel "triangle," and as that was a most convenient point to radiate from, ho suggested that that should be looked upon aa tho future "centre" of tho citj, and he maintained that it was an important point in policy to lay out the tramway sections from- there. Tho council, ho maintained, had not gone the right way towards placing tho tramway system oh a sound basis. In tho course of this other remarks, Councillor Cameron stated that ho did not grudge.the, motorincn and,,conductors the increase in" pay- which'' they had received. Ho believed that they deserved it. Mr. William Dobson said that, at the' present time, it cost munyl families in Newtown about 10s. Gd. per week in tram fares. He criticised Mr. Trcgear, I'rcsideut of the Cost of' Living Commission, lor supporting tho proposals in the'council, and so approving of an increa.se of 100 per cent, in the- tram fares of the Newtown people. The speaker, also referred generally to the tram service as "rotten." By failing to advertise, tho authorities were neglecting opportunities of iuctcaeing tho trnm traffic. Mr. A. Whitelaw and Mr. G. Winder also spoke. ■ Mr. Ludwig's motion was then put to tho meeting, and declared carried unanimously. Mr. W. Dobson then moved :- J "That, i in the opinion of this meeting, no alteration in tram fares should bo made until an independent commission be appointed to inquire into tho management." This was seconded by Mr, WhitelaK, tfho severely criticised the management. The motion was declared to be carried Unanimously. A resolution was also carried approving of the stand taken by Councillors Cameron and Barber at tho Inst City Council meeting.