RISE IN TRAM FARES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 269, 9 August 1919, Page 6

RISE IN TRAM FARES

' TO OVERATE FROM .MONDAY. Although the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stated at'the .City Council meeting,on Thursday evening that the '-Tramways Department was ready to change over to the new scale of fares yesterday, that change did not take place. A decision was arrived at late on Thursday night to make the change as from Monday. Consentient upon the announcement in yesterday's Dominion', tliere was a -rush for concession tickets at the old ; ra,tes yosterdav, but; there were nono available, surplus 'stocks having all.been collected the first thing yesterday morning.- .In any case; there were not many available for collect ion. as vendors of tickets had been purposely kept short lor « week past, in anticipation of. the proposed change in Hie scale of.fare*. Rumours of the change had got round during the week, however, and it: is kn»wn that some investments were-made early in the week that will save the ■investorssome raonev. One company spent -SlO on concession tickets for its employees. The City Council has. so far? not rajscd the price of workers' concession lic--kels although as indicated m Ihede--. bate the city is losing heavily on sucn tickets The reason for this is that in the original Order-in-Council .sanction* in* the opening of the electric tramwaj service, it was specified by the Government, of wliich the late Hon. R. J, Seeldon was the head, that workers tickets were to be issued at a certain spccißed schedule rate. Since then however, the cost, of running the cars has increased, enormously, and steps are to be taken to have the Ordor-in-Conn«l varied so as to allow of a readjustment of Hie rates f workers' tickets. , .