THE NEW TRAM FARES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 271, 12 August 1919, Page 6

THE NEW TRAM FARES

SCHEME GENERALLY APPROVED,

The now faros on the municipal tramways camo into operation yesterday morning, and the public took Co them, as one conductor said, "like ft duck takes to water." Speaking on the subject yesterday to a Dominion reporter, tiie Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that he had received verbally and by letter comment distinctly favourable to the council's proposals. The scheme might not be perfect from every point of view, but it was obvious that ihe tramways finance must be strengthened without delay, and so long as the City Council was careful in making no unjust dif- . ferentiation in respect to the fares of those residing in the outlying districts, the proposals were sound, lie maintained that as that guiding principle had been observed, I lie council's new scale of charges was sound. To illustrate what the Mayor meant more exactly, tho writer went to tho trouble of comparing tho fares from a central point in the city to tho various termini, in order to show how little tho fu.ll fares had been varied. Assuming the passenger boarded the car at the Bank of New Zealand corner (at the junction of Lambton Quay and WiliiS j. Street), his tares last week would com-1 pare with those of this week (taking all advantage of concession rates) as follow , Old fare. New fare, d. d.To Oriental Bay 1J 1 7-3 „ Thorndoh U 1 7-81 „ Newtown 2 1-7 2 4-7 „ Lyall Bay 2 4-7 .3 „ Island Bay 2 4-7 3 „ Hiramaj' 3 4-7 4 „ Seatoun 3 4-7 -4 Karori Park 4J 4 7-8 „ Wadestown 2 1-7 2 4-7 Such was the' demand for the one-sec-tion concession tickets (twelve rides for Is 3d.) yesterday that the conductors' supplies run out during the -afternoon, and those who elected to ride over ths single section had perforce to pay tho i twopence. There will he an ample supply available to-day. The London "Daily Express" of a recent date contains particulars of a rise in the electric tramway fares in Lon- ! don, which shows that Wellington has i not been the lirst ta move in Mie matter, j The "Expiess". says: "Londoners are not 1 content to be pushed, squeezed, asphyxi- | ated at extra cost to themselves. A j hundred jier cent, increaso in fares, ■ coupled with a five hundred per cent. ! decrease of comfort has broken the pivbj lie patience." The paragraph indicates that tho tram fares in London, have been increased 'by. 100 per cent.