THE PENNY FARES

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1649, 16 January 1913, Page 7

THE PENNY FARES

FOR THE TRAMS. COUNCILLORS INTERVIEWED. PROPOSAL OPPOSED. • ' Tho universal penny faro for Wellington trams—ono of tho planks in : tho plat. 1 form put forward by tlio Trades and Lab- 1 • J bur Council for Iho fiftecu" Labour''caii- s , didates for tho municipal; elections—was ' , f generiilly condemned by several council- • lors, who wele interviewed .yesterday on ■ tho subject, " Councillor ITlxist expressed th6'opini6i» ' that it would bo utterly impossible,', irow ' • a financial point of view, to wn tho • < i trams on such u scheme oMarca.. Tlio , p system would lievcr be introduced by tho i present council, and, it' introduced by ,a. q tew council, would simply mean throwlng tlio burden ot tho loss<oii/tho ratepayers. Tiio majority of tho' ratepayers, 1 Ujuncillcr Frost 6hrew<lly ,, obscrves 1 aro i workers owning their 'owiL homes, and tlio • burden of • incteftsed"-MtM. will'.fall' oji v I them, while the wealthy man (tho/moN* v •1 (tagoe).. '■.escapes scot tree.,,. ..Councillor , Frost finally stated that ho was opposed . J to any. scheme, of the kind, that would In. oreaso the rates. ■: His uvfn policy was rather to reduce the rates. j . "Ruinius, Absurd; and Silly." 6 Councillor Fuller Calne straight to tho ■ j. point,when seen by a Reporter.,, "You ask mi what 'I think of tho unl. . versal penny fare," ho 6aid. "Well, thsro o is a happy iiiedium fn all things. Now; ' that an extra btctiori, litis I>eetl -put in J different parts of tho system, I think that j Sixteen rides, for a shilling—ix Uhivcreal ; card—would be that hhppy iiicdiulh. Tlio penny'ridos would be rUinOUs,. absurd, 6 and silly, because iii Diinedin tiley hhvo ' , o got as near, tho .bono' ,6s regqtds chcaj) i- fares hs it is possible to get. _ Willi tho present arrangement of Wellington sec-;; I, tions, .16 rides for a, shilling would bo ' inoro,favourable than it'is lb Diinedia „ at present; .liiilo.:after,titti?, Jhe^jviigqa. ; have gono up hete, hnd annoying oohdU i d tions attached to tho agreement whiclil .■ v I, Inake it luol-o expeusivo W run &'n)UJiioi« - 0 t>al tramway system, . . In comparison ■ with ' lftst , year, the wages . bi)l ? is' now. iiOOO more, hnd in con*', .v r sequence,, tho fares had to go up— •■■■. y a little too high for my liking—buti liko . . y private Enterprise) business fs 1 . business, „ and this must bo Considered by tho pub> , lie ■ trusted be thtiliicfjttil ' ■ '• -oi' Gbvejlniient,'«' -*■ <•', ■ " , J "Utter rot" and "hbsolutely impractic* 6 able" were the exprcssibhs used by Oouii». Cillor Fitzgerald when the matter was r mentioned to him. 'Ho Considered that the'question .was hardly worth 1 discussihg.. , f au'd. that iio'reasonable citizen Could.tleat 0 the matter other than &9 a joke. . 0 ! : "Most Unworkable." o' Couhcilldr Jt'ltenzie, ; lil'disciissing .tho ';.question) said: "I,tliiiik;,that,tlio proij; posal of the universal penny, faro is tho - most unworkable' Mid hiost nnbusincSSliko' t . prCposul that the' Labour people havo ever ; s placed upon their, programme.' So far as /■ s I'am "aware,, there'hafe; never been .au 1 . . - actuarial '' calculation Upon . Mich a pro- : posal,. and it' 1 all events 'the 'pric<S' tU6y have Stated is quite Ridiculous, and, .cpuld' ' • ■ never pay. They evidently feel that at tho . . > outset,there .will bo.a.deficit on the.pro* ; Itosal when they, decido to ask the nate-, . , Jviyors to mako up ;tho,lOssniTo. myr,mind .; the ratepayers already carry more than , their load. . Councillor.'M'Kenzio"then-.went oh ~to-. .. refer to' the point as to whether, ,tho charge would revert "to the public, and said .that if... off,these .men, making ' tlio'. proposal liie#, of the high 'rents' tlitit" " tlie business" areas , of' tho''city, idenihnd 'j *• with the limited amount oi'bhsihesS tliati!, r ■ can lie done they would see that, the 1 shop-keeper 'was, filreajly,." ; over-burdened. ~ . 1 Increased rates'meant increased rente and 1 the establishment of this scheme Svould 0 merely mean another method, of putting "V tho. cliarge back upon thc..public.j .;.■>•! ;./ 1-1 GouMilldrs.tV;Shfrt6H% 1 ' > • ond. Fletcher. ;'; ~v ®' were \also asked, if they woiild- caro to '' express any .views .oil ,the, subject, but 0 neither had anything to say. ,