TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 217, 7 June 1919, Page 8

TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT

Sir—At the present tiine tramway companies' are agitated over the proposed Government restrictions in regard to ovei'erowding. P suppose most of th& corporations are managed on much tho -same lines as the: Wellington City eons cern. If they tore; then there is much room for improvement To go back a fewyears. Shortly after the electric service!', wero introduced in Wellington the corporation found there was not enough rolling stock, and they set about procuring raoro cars. At that time there was an agitation lo appoint a manager.. This was defeated in the council. Some of tho councillors contended that the council had capable men who iould manage tho trams as well as any person outside the City Council officers, with the result that Mr. Morton was appointed by the eil as tramway manager, and received an' advance in his salary. What some people and ratepayers would like to know is what improvements have been effected? To tho "man in - the sired" the ears peregrinate on the same system ss wheil they started. There have been no serious attempts lo accelerate through traffic, and so take more mileage out of tho cars. This is the crux of iho whole postiion.

I believe it would be poF-:ible with proper management to enable the present lolling stock to cope with the traffic: a great deal better than is done at present, The present practice of stopping already overloaded cars to allow sDmcono to squeeze on to the cars should he dono away with, Why not arrange the traffic, which could be very easily done, and dispatoli cars for these .outlying districts, -ami not slop them to pick up or put down passenger.? until a certain distance is'i'Mthed from the centre of the cityr 1 I'or instance, supposing a car was rimed to leave tho Government station for Island Bay, and not given more than three stops—say, the station,, Duke of. Edinburgh corner, and Courtcnay Place. No stop after that until it reached Jolm Street, or perhaps further. This would take more mileage out of the car, be easier on mutorinan and conductor, and also save current, which is a., very important item just now. This would get people home some twenty minutes soonet, and then I his would relieve a lot of the overcrowding that at. present exists, Then a slow, or .stopping, car could fol.. low immediately and pick.up or set down short-run traffic. People would soon conic lo make their arrangements to catch these through cars when they required Ihem. This arrangement could bo fol. lowed on all the suburban lines. At any rate it would be no harm to give it h trial.

It was staled in the council sonic lime ago that it, cost the council one farthing to slop and start, a car. Then why sto;; it when it is already full? . Anybody that knows" anything about this tort, of traffic will know that it must cost less to keep a car running, with the same load, than to stop and start it every few yards. .What.the council should aim at in the. present state of congestion is to increase Ihe present mileage. This can be done if it adopts some of the.=e suggestions—l am, etc., « TKOii. iir. MIUIGAX. June C, 191!).