CITY CARS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1559, 1 October 1912, Page 5

CITY CARS.

CENTRE AISLES DECIDED ON. NO DOUBLE-DECKERS. HOW LONG WILL CHANGES TAKEf At a special meeting, of tho Wellington City Council, which was held last night, tho following report from tho joint committee (Tramway and Finance Commit' lees) was adopted:— "Tho coinniitlco liavo lo report that tho Tramways Hoard recommend that the 'eouncil consider at once the necessity of providing a central passage in the whole of the tramcars, and that tho work be started, forthwith, aitd that one car per ltioiilh at* least bo altered until the whole are completed. With regard to tlio big double-deck palaco cars, tho board is of opinion that the alterations suggested will structurally weaken tho care, and recommends that the top decks on these cars be donu away with, and tlio cars altered lo : single-dockers, similar in pattern to the ordinary palaco car. Tile estimated cost of the above alterations is X'WB. "The board also recommend that the new.cars to be constructed Uiould bo equipped in such a manner as to ho J suilablo for use either as single cars or as coupled units, and also that tho Government b« approached lo allow" future cars to be built seven feet wide instead of six feci six inches as at present. "Tho eomniittec recommend that tt# reconstruction of tho palaco cars bo authorised, with the provision of a passage-way down the centre, and that the board bo empowered to negotiate for the matters recommended by them ro the additional width of cars and tho provision of coupled units." The Mayor (Mr. D. M'Laren)' intra*' dnccd the matter by saying that tlio councillors had before thoin the joint committee's report dealing with tho reconstruction of tho cars. The report very fully set out tho grounds on which the committee, had come to the conclusions which were recommended in the teport. The Tramways Board had had the oiestion of making a centre aisle in the caruumler consideration for some time, and had gone into tho matter, very fully. TI:o board had then made its report to the committee, and tho committee had unanimously agreed to it. He moved ;the adoption of the report. Councillor G. Frost seconded the motion. He thought that thero was no doubt that tlio feeling of the committee, the council, and t.lio public was .that these cars should lie altered, and altered at a reasonable speed. He thought that the work of alteration would, perhaps, extend over a period of 5.V years. Councillor J. Godbcr asked if tho board had considered the advisability of, when making the main alterations, lowering tho steps of tho palace cars. The Mayor: It will mean providing extra'ears, and on all these new cars the step will be lower. Councillor Godber: Is it not possible to low<s tho steps on the present cars? Tho Mayor replied that the board w-as going iuto that at the present time. Th» general scheme Would bo gone into'very fully later on. In reply to a remark by Councillor ,T. Trevor, t)io Mayor said that tlie general scheme would bo considered later. Councillor J. Smith said that'what ho objected to was that they were going to cut down the big palace cars at great expense and reduce tlie seating accommodation by one-half. It was, lie remarked, to obviate tlio necessity of legislhtion being introduced that these steps were being taken. Tho Mayor said that it might bo possible to retain the upper storey-of the double-deckers by putting tho _ seats lengthwise in tho underneath portion. Councillor W.'H. P. Barber referred to tlio nowest Wellington car, No. 90, which, he said, had lieon sent out on to the streets defective. "It was," lie continued, "ail attempt to evade the Act, and until tho Government objected to the car it was left on tho road." . The Mayor said that he had been advised that tho car had been constructed quite in accord- with the ■ Act. . >■ Councillor Mackenzie said that he was not against the proposal, but lie, considered that the 'Wording of tho report needed revision. Mr. W. Morton, City Engineer, who is chairman of the Trapiways Board, said that the board proposed to leave Ilia double-decker cars to the last. They proposed to meet some of the difficulties b.v; introducing a system of coupled units. They had found that the double-decker cars were so constructed that 1 if'the first-, floor seats were cut through tho middle thero would not be sufficient staying power to make the cars safe when they were heavily loaded on top. It would take very littlo to render these double-deckers unsafe. 1 • Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald said that there appeared bo an impression,' among members of Parliament that tho Wellington City Council had not done i(a duty in this matter. Members of Parliament said that these cars'could bo altered very quickly and . very cheaply. It was the Mayor's duty to reply to the statement which had been made respecting ear No, 30. The Mayor said that he could give any such statement ns .that to which Councillor Fitzgerald had referred an absolute denial, because the City Council had never given any instruction in tho direction of evading the Tramways Act. Furthermore, the Tramways Board had novei; given any such instruction. If anything had occurred which seenied to traverse, tlio Act, it was merely a (em. porary mistake. Mr. Morton stated that Car f!0 had. been built exactly in (ho term l ! of tho Government. requirements. There had not been a detail omitted. Tho car had been passed by the Public Works Department, but tho Tramways Union had asked for some alterations, and these had been made. Councillor Barber remarked that th# 'want of tho door, which had ultimatelyto be put in at one end of tlio car, had forced tho conductor to go out on tba footboard. , Mr. Morton: But the door was not included in the Davey clause. Councillor 8. Fuller said that anyone with half aiv eye could sco that double--deckers were no good to electric tram'ways. As regarded members of Parliament who were always getting at the City Council, bi'would say to tliem: "Look at home a bit!" 'It was absolutely nnsafo t'i g" from one carriage to another on Ihe New Zealand railways, whieh were a disgrace ti the—to the world! (Laughter.) Councillor Fuller• Absolutely! Councillor Atkinson said that Councillor Barber would only be d"insr tho rieht thing if ho withdrew completely his statement that the council had sought to evade tlio Act'. Councillor Barber said thai ho was prepared to repeat: tliit a mistake had hrpii made, but if lie was wrong ill <ayine (hat (here had been an evasion, he would withdraw that. T, to .motion to adopt tho report was MP vied..' , MAYOR'S STATEMENT, After tho meeting tho Mayor made a statement lo the press in reference to Councillor Frost's remark (o the effect that tho work of alteration would perhaps extend over five and. a half yean. The Jin,vor said: "This is the position. Tho reconstruction of the cars necessarily depends on our car-shed accommodation. At tho present time tho board has stated that one a month would be the rate, but it is contemplated that we will be able to deal with them a good deal more rapidly later on. so that the statement that it would be only one a month, upon which Councillor Frost apparently boH'd ■his remarks, cannot .be taken as an absolute rule covering nil extensive period of time. Tlio beard is now authorised lo liiako preparations to give extended ear accommodation with (he object of lring able to handle the reconstruction of cars 111010 expeditiously."