UNIVERSAL TRAM FARE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1517, 13 August 1912, Page 8

UNIVERSAL TRAM FARE.

$ ADVOCATED FOE WELLINGTON. Mr. E. E. Peacock, of Sydney and Melbourne, ail expert in business methods, who has been interesting himself in placing the Y.M.C.A. movement in Now Zealand on a sounder business basis, jbeenmo interested in the tramway problem whilst in Wellington. So interested that only a few days ago ho met a number of representative citizens of the outlying districts (who are mostly concerned in the proposed new scale of increased fares), aud propounded certain views lie held on the questions, views which we are informed are later on. to bo placed before tlie City Council. Mr. Peacock, who has had considerable rapcriencc in tramway matter;, having been a director of tlfo Melbourne Tramway Company, believes that, situated as Wellington is, tho universal fare, which' is so popular in America, would meet; Wellington's case. At present, he points out, nearly. 60 per. cent, of the people who use the cars are ponnysection riders,- and all inquiries (or uincteuths of them) for houses with Wellington land agents are" for places on (lie penny section or within easy reach of it. The result of that must be to make the control huddled area of the city nioro huddled, and therefore more unhealthy, a state of things, too, which is accentuated by the rating 011 unimproved values in Wellington. Everyone who has a bit of land 011 the penny, section built on every foot of it, knowing that, the place will readily let, and that ho is rated for tho Innd, anyhow, if there was not a house on it. In America they have advanced ' a stage-there the five cent (2!d.) faro is almost universal on the electric cars, and

tho result is that l>oau(i(ul suburbs aro developed, anil llu- inducement is rather to livo away from than in the centre of a city. Thero papulation followed the trams—hero we wait for tho population before running out a lino to meet the convenience of the people. Mr. Peacock believes that a -universal l!d. fare would meet the needs of Wellington city. It would press hard on the penny-section riders for a bit, perhaps. Others-who ride tho greater length of the section, and perhaps reside a little beyond the section-end, would not cavil at tho extra half-penny. But the real benefit would enmc from (lie enormous number of people who would, by virtue of the cheap fores, be induced to s-etlle in tho suburbs or on (he outskirts of the city. On tho other hand, the result of increasing tho fares to the outlying portions of tho city would reflect in another way nn the central area. Hunts must be reduced in. the suburbs to enable people to live there at all, and tho rateable value of properly must recede, and as tho local authority "must have approximately the same amount of money, the rateable value of the central area must automatically increase. Increasing the fares is likely to appreciably lessen the traffic, on suburban lines, "and will harden Values and increase rents of houses within easy reach, of tho penny section. Tho universal fare would do awav with favoured areas. The Government Railway Station, Winder's Corner, Voitch and Allen's Corner, and tho eastern end of Courtenay Place have become good business places because the crowd leave or board tho cars there. Tliat is good for the few, but not the many, and as it would be immaterial where ono left tho ear when travelling on. a-universal ticket, a great deal of the congestion experienced at certain places would be done away with, whilst the revenue would be augmented by a larger number of regular passengers. '