OUR TRAMWAYS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 201, 20 May 1920, Page 6

OUR TRAMWAYS

SOME REGRETTABLE FEATURES

MR. W. H. MORTON'S CONCLUSIONS

Deferring to Wellington's tramway system at the conclusion of his report oil his visit to America and the United Kingdom, tho Tramways Manager and City Engineer (Mr..W. lE. Morton) says: • "Whilst it must 'be admitted that our present tramway system is inadequate for tho comfortable carriage of the passengers requiring to use the services, this difficulty has been caused principally by inability to obtain machinery and plant during tho war, and I am satisfied that the system, as it was originally installed, lias been worked generally along correct lines. There are, however, many improvements which can be effected, and which will bo necessary in order to give satisfactory results. It is, in my opinion, regrettable I hat the standard gauge (4ft. 8J111.) was not originally adopted, and that provision was not made for traffic into tiie city to pass along the centres ol the streets in one direction, and for traffic* out of tho city to be carried along other streets as nearly as possible parallel thereto. This would have given greater carrying capacity in the cars, provided more space for other, vehicles outside the tram tracks and generally would have resulted in less congestion than at present obtains. . It is, however, too late to do more than refer to this point, but it will'be essential to provide an alternative route for traffic to and from the centre of the city during rush hours, particularly between Courtenay Place and Lambton Railway Station. It is also to be regretted that such small generating sets have been provided in our power station. Machines of much greater capacity should have been installed. In view of the Government proposal to supply electricity from water power, however, a complete and separate report is being prepared for the information of the council on this question. The .result of observation in other countries has caused me to feel that in the capital city of a new country wo should bo bolder in anticipating futuro requirements than we have been in the past. We should make full provision 'for future expansion when inaugurating schemes for public service, and, especially when the corporation has the monopoly of supply we should exercise great foresight in seeing that only the best sites are acquired for the undertakings, with ample room for future extensions. "In America I wa9 very favourably impressed with the suitability of inclined lifts or cable tramways for passenger transport to isolated hilly districts which cannot be reached, except at great expense, by extensions of the city "tramway systems. These inclined tramways, where the ropes may be carried on tho surface, as in the case of the Kclburn tramway, cost less (especially where tunnels and bridges are not required), and are .much cheaper to operate than the electric tramway, which requires gradients not steeper than 1 in 12, heavy earthworks and tortuous routes."