TRAM FARES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2768, 11 May 1916, Page 6

TRAM FARES

PROPOSED CONCESSION RATES THE WORKERS' TICKETS The proposed change in the scheme of concessions -to ),o granted by the Wellington .Tramways to workers 'arid other people was the subject on which a deputation from the Wellington City Council interviewed the Minister of Public Works (the. Hon. W. I'rascr) yesterday. ' Ihe Mayor said that the deputation had ■come to ask tho Minister to vary the Order-m-Council regulating tbo chafes to ■be made for.workers* and other concession tickets Ihe present workers' ticket .was.a weekly ticket, but.it could bo used until exhausted,■ even it it extended be. J-pnd a week. The council's ■■administration, had been very ' generous.' Applications had been, made to have the workers' tiewts made applicable, not- only to 8 o.clock, but to 9 o'clock.workers' This 1 ET^ if l ,! ™ W vrould'have seriously attested the tramway finances, as it woulti involve a. reduction of ,£7OOO in revenue trXS- U i P }\ PJ'f , I ,OS i al was to abolish oiker,, tickets altogether, and to make * ,™^ na TTT slons applicable to everybody at all hours of the day more generous. The experience of the,nW™ ment was that from'year to year a sm a l?e^ Aet». and that more were vsiw ordinarv concession tickets The abolition of S ers tickets would affect only th° simrhY man going to work at 8 o'clock. The maY ht "hS rH d *? y more "' own" tare, but his family wou d get the ad rate, and it was claimed that the net ««nlt would be to the advantage of the named man Mr. Luke pointed out that iv» workers' tickets wen issued in Christ church, md that in Auckland workers' tckets were limited to the first two secskS fi°? U?eu St -^ et He wished to nf B U n- tho , ? 0 - ,IJQOiI did no* «'«nd to d anythmj dfltnmental to the wteresfa onnt | V '° rkei ; s > ; totlwm* that tins new fTS I • would no ,' be - *° th ° detriment it workers generally, including in the Urm workers not only those who went to work early in the morning. It was estimated that the total value of the proposed new concessions would ba £M 0 a

In +; Eraser asked what the cost would L w° P H la ™ vkei - a concisions as Cce^ol™^ 0 the proposed °* d ™ry

Mr. Luko said it would bo anvthinc between JS3OOO and Mm. He added K ■wst 3 ear .'the trams earned- a surnlua v ™ °i. f 5.000, after making?!^ the capita of .£700,0 M invested. ■ The workers asked that of this .£15,1)00 the Hum .ot .AMI) should bo given back iii concessions to 0 o'clock Workers. The council daid that it could not do tnis Wellington tramways were ii a sound *t the Auckland Tramway Company was "»1 being usod tor flow work. t n lL l,ra l ei ' : aTe 3 ' OU submitted this to the ■workers, in any shape or form? ,7' , Lul "> said tbitt the workers had ot 9 thl ked i- 01 '' inytUil fS the extension kefsr£ ?, rd . , . n ? rj [ ers ' concession tic Kets to fl d cluck workers. Councillor- T, Bush said that if tho .tramways were charged with.all that per" hap, ought to be charged against them, the surplus of would probably ,^ r ."stance, tho tramways . ie e charged only small rents for city in. *,° n certain buildings stood, and the whole of. the salary of Air. Morton, who acted as general manager of the tramways, was charged to the City •Engineer's Department. H -„ ilo rtoa said that tho pre. sent system of workers' concession tickets *< S o3t unt « Tl r. being availabfo only to those workers who went to work ■ ■ f*J tlle exclusion of,other workers no better paid, who went to work later! the concession asked for—that the workers tickets should be extended to nine o clock workers-was too big to be granted with safety. The new proposed concessions would probably increase the number of people travelling, but the rates of charge would be reduced. If,there was no increase in tho, number of. .• people travelling, the City would lose from .£4OOO to i'aOOO. However, the object of the new system was to spread the concessions tail' y, making them available to factory workers and- shop assistants. To tho workers living a long distance out tho new rates would be very little higher than the present workers' rates. A man ' could travel to Island Bay on the new concessions for 2\d., whereas the present workers' concession rate was 2d. And tne new rates would be applicable to all workers and to all workers' families. The Minister said it would not be proper for him to give a final reply at once. He apprehended that as soon as it became . known that the City Council had approached him, others would wish to state the contrary side of the case to him. Possibly it would be said by those now receiving the workers' concessions that these general concessions to the public wore to be given at their expense. %ithout at once expressing an opinion, he would promise to give the matter his" attention, and cousidor how far it would be possible to >n=et tho views of the deputation.