WHAT OF THE CARS?

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1911, Page 6

WHAT OF THE CARS?

All eyes are now on the city's tramway cars. "Thorough overhaul," a phrase used recently by the Mayor, has been caught up by various candidates, and the air resounds with the word "reform." Last night it was recommended, to the City Council by a- subcommittee that a traffic expert should be engaged to investigate and report upon the running of the cars. Naturally several councillors submitted that the local officers should have full oppor- j tunity to r*eport on the whole system before an outsider was brought in. We are satisfied that the traffic system \ calls for improvement, and' we believe that it will be advantageous in diie course to invoke the aid of an outside expert, but it is only fair that all the local officers should first state a case. We are, therefore, glad that a reasonable compromise was effected at the close of a long discussion. The position now is that the electrical engineers are to frame a report on, the tramway management and traffic, and the Mayor is authorised to ascertain the cost of securing the services of a traffic expert to prepare an independent report. It has to be remembered to-day that the sections were fixed by the council and not by the officers, and thab some concessions in fares were granted in 1909 against the advice of the tramway officers. These officers have been a sort of buffer between the council and the public, and there is no small danger that they may suffer in some measure from the council's own weakness. We shall briefly sketch the points which the officers should put before the public. The people desire to be told definitely and plainly how the Wellington system compares, under all heads, with the municipal systems of Christchurch and Dunedin, and the private system of Auckland. In these comparisons care must be taken to show the differences in cost of construction, the rates of interest on all loans, the relative charges for depreciation and sinking fund, the running costs for generation of power, maintenance and traffic, the net charge to a passenger per carmile, and other necessary things, to enable the public of Wellington to know clearly how they stand in relation to the people of other centres. For example, Wellington's penny sections are appreciably longer than those of Christchurch, but, in the net result, it is understood that the two publics are in much the same position, because the concessions are on a more lavish scale in Christchurch. The officers have the task of showing whether it will be possible to continue the present service at a reduced cost or necessary to ask the public to pay more for the service if a larger jnargin of profit is desired. It may be advisable for the officers to work out a twelve-minute service without any 'appreciable alteration of the present sections. They eerte-inly have a v,ery large field for their labours, and their report will be eagerly awaited by the citizens.