TRAMS AND FARES!

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 117, 14 November 1939, Page 11

TRAMS AND FARES!

PROTEST MEETING

L;dN(5-DIStAiMCtE RIDEffS ■ ;>

HARD HIT BY INCREASE

One section of suburban residents, already like others affected by-in-creasing cosfe, has been-hioved tb rise in prptest against the reeently-imppsed higher tram fares. Views on the; subject, as well as on pther aspects 6f : tramway service, were aired at the inaugural meeting pf a newly-formed Karori West residents' organisation last night, and steps were; taken 'to have Representations made in the prPper quarter for removing what were regarded as -inivistices. There was much plain "speaking, but not all with-, put. some indication, that the difficulties of the tramways department were appreciated.

"We have the increase in tram,fares which affects all of us," said Mr. A, ;R. Cliffe in speaking pn one of the matters: fpr discussion placed before the meeting by tJbu* chairman; (Mr. R.-.C. Cressey) '"X wpuld like to.. know .if, when they'vtent befpre the Price Fixation Tribunal, any representatives, of the outlying districts.; were present. :If: not, ,1 would like to •; enter aJprotest for the Karori people '.as- a. whale. Whereit comes tP a public service, the general public, ■ rated' for ■ it> should, have some -say in the cost.of transit. There should be a poll ;on.the.increase of fares."1' It. was-; claimed-; by : the speaker^ also that the public, .were; ren- ; tilled to have a- full, financial;. statemerit' showingl how the.position - stood, so far fas1 the tramway operations, were concerned and, showing -, what -reserve funds there were. The people'of Wellington were justly:entitled ;to know, what the controlling body, was .doing, he said..;■: -.;■: •.■. J ..-.-0;.--.v. i:.:^-:-..-.■.

"NOW YdU/ARfi^HERE-—^'

"The people were; asked, to-go ; put into the country," ,the "speaker.; con-; tinued. "They have ypu,here now, /and the charges have: increased^ \ A very lame excuse was offered,, and the train-, waymen took it up." lie went, ph^to trace the; history.- of, increases', in; concession tickets. There wasithe twelve-. trip -for/ 3s,.:therii the .ten-trip,for 5s 6d, foUowed: by: the eight-trip'for..2s; 6d, and now: hadrcome the for 3s. "It seenis to me ; to? be an. Unjust .charge to .residents of outlying districts, 7' he added. *■ •"• ' • f '■" The'convener of the meeting, Mr. F. J. Fee'han, in offering -his congratulations; on' the stand taken in the matter by the secretary of the Tramwaymen's Union;considei'ed. that.it was most unfair that the fourr and - five-section, riders should be made- to carry, the burden of the increased fares. ,The increase amounted to 4s in : the £, which j was outnof all proportion to the amount -(which he set down at is 8d in the £) by which the tramwaymen's wages had been increased. He urged the appointing of a deputation to wait uppn the City Council this, week and enter, a' protest1 against the; increase, Mflß. Sutton: - What,about asking for" the i*ai-clip - ticket back. -As it is now,>T*« nave to -dip into our pocket twice a weekv - -■ - v <"■■-:■..;

iAiiqthejp resident: And we cannot use the 'ticket on' Sunday.••; .is-;

,'a. !^jMJi

"We niustnot overlook : tii^ faGt.tbat we- have'elected the ;: council ; tp .'look' after our -affairs;■'-■.said.!Mr. A,. J. Jeffs. "The pbint^is: are we getting value for the money?" He explained that .the Karori Progressive Association- had riot taken aiiy action in> the matter'because of the time being; very, short cWhile not comparing ■■ the two i systems -of trarispbrt> he gave ;■ figures: to': show what Khandallah residents" had? to pay in fares' compared -with•..■ Karori ,i .residents, there being very little difference in ,the> length :.of travel;in/each /case. From Courtenay Place- to Karori Park the concession fare was 3s for eight rides or_ a cash fare of 6d; from, Wellington to Khandallah it was s§d ;per trip on a six-trip ticket and 3Jd on-a twfelve-trip ticket (average 4Jd) or a cash fare of 8d;; /» ;,h ; =..

Mr, H. Grondin: Karori is not Khandallah. The interests of Karori residents are here, and some action should have-been taken by the Progressive Association.

It was considered, by Mt.H;.G. Harpham that any deputation" was going to have a big job to sway the council. The" facts had to be faced. For one thiog.iit haid to be borne in mindithat there was only one dissentient' when the question of increases was before the council. . ,

"You. are going to ask for service for less money," he said. "After all is said and done, the tHing has gone before the. Price Fixation Tribunal, and ho doubt they have more information than any ratepayer can hope to-have." ■ •.' ' •'•:"';,; ':':' ■■■■"■* •■■'"•".'

After instances of hardship had been stated, and the point made, that young people were given concessions on the trains up to a much higher age than on the trams, It was' decided, on Mr. Feehan's motion,; that a deputation should wait on the City: Council . in protest against the increased tram fares, the protest to be lodged, if possible,.at Wednesday's meeting. .\1..,

THE MOTHER'S PLIGHT.

"What right has a mother to be "debarred?" asked Air: Cliffe in •d^awirig attention to another question; worthy of serious consideration; "No lady has: a right to get on a tram after 4 r 3oip.mV with a perambulator," he explained. "That is, I consider, an injustice. The! mother is a resident; she is a citizen; and the trams are her own property. She has every right to have her perambulator put on the tram. It. does hot matter whether it is 6 o'clock in the morning or. midnight.'" She has every fight to go out and;to come. home. The trams are there for the benefit of the people not for the.benefit of a few."

V. Her^; again, instances were givenl of hardships, one of the eases stated being that of a mother from, the Hutt Valley who had visited Karori. On her return trip she had left in time to connect with a certain train, but was not allowed to board trams until one conductor— +"a- humane sort of per-! son" ? was how the narrator of; the story described him-ftook pity on the woman and she was able \to reach;, the vicinity of the station by tram.. / Ho,we^er, she had missed her train and had had to wait over Sn hour' for another. . '. /

It was agreed to take up the matter of prams on trams with the authorities.

SERVICE AND CONCJESSIpNS. :. On -the questioii^of-better *s"eJvices to' Karori West there was much discus-: sion, the need being.stressed for moref trams,1 i£ not all, on the .Karori route to .prpceed to the terminus instead1 of stopping at the old council chambers. The-section from the chambers to the park was one of the shortest in the tramway service. In taking the trams right, through, the pressure on accpmmpdatibn, it was claimed, would be eased. .In any case,' Karon West had grown;- some 300 .houses • Kad been: erected there in the past.few ,years^ end a better service for vthe •growings

locality was .regarded- as an- .urgent •necessity. -' ■;. ;-h: • :. :.■ ■■/; ■ .. •■•.■ :

fit;was pointed out by some speakers that visitors- to the Exhibition were; subjected to -long-delays in getting! back td the Karori- = West ■ district through^ the tram service.' Long waits; at Courtehay Place—of! about twehfyi minutes —were not unusual. {i

'': Tfre voice of the "strap-hangers" was [also heard at. the meeting. To ease their lot minimum fares were suggested, along.^ithimprbved service. Mr. Jeffs mentioned that sight should not be lost of the difficulty regarding roll-ing-stock, of which the. General Manager of Tramways was short. . ~7 It was decided, on the, motion of Mr. Jeffs t 'that representations.for improve-' ments in the service, should -be made to the General Manager of Tramways