BUS REGULATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 55, 2 September 1926, Page 10

BUS REGULATIONS

APPROVAL IN AUCKLAND CONSTITUTION OF TRANSPORT BOARD. (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. A feature of the draft of the motorbus regulations that meets with wide approval in Auckland is the proposal to set up i a metropolitan transport board, but certain features of detail may give rise to differences. Messrs. A. Thompson and T. Bloodworth, membora of the Auckland City Council, said that a board which would take over the whole of the assets and liabilities would possibly appeal to the people. The first question to be considered in setting up such a board would be that of financial arrangements. It is uncertain whether the new board should be constituted, they explained, as its functions might.be exercised by some existing body. They said that the simplest way to solve the difficulty appeared to be for the local authorities to join with the city immediately, and form one unit, as Greater Auckland. Auckland was the only city in New Zealand that was running trams beyond the area controlled by the tramway authority. The Dunedin. and Wellington City Councils operated their trams only within the areas that they controlled, and in Christehurch the trams .were controlled by a Tramways Board, which was a body.entirely distinct from the Christehurch City Council, and controlled a much wider area. The trams of Christehurch operated only within the territory controlled for transportation purposes by the Christchurch Tramways Board. Auckland City, on tho other hand, carried the full financial responsibilities for the tramways system, but operated it within the territory of six other local bodies outside the city limits. The city was compelled, by tho deed of delegation from these authorities, to provide tramway services in tho respective districts, but the ratepayers in those districts carried no financial responsibility for the trams, and in the event of loss on the undertaking, the city ratepayers alone would be responsible. The Auckland tramway authority was the only one in New Zealand so situated.