SUNDAY TRAMS. They Disturb Public Worship.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 243, 25 February 1905, Page 6

SUNDAY TRAMS. They Disturb Public Worship.

THE clergy of Wellington do not as a rule possess an overplus of sweet reasonableness But their latest request for the suspension of the noise, bang, and clatter of the electric trams during the hour and a-half of church services on Sunday nights does really seem to be backed up by moderation and common^sense. One man enjoys his Sunday by going to Day s Bay and returning during church hours, and others enjoy their Sunday evening in public worship The Day s Bay man will concede, if he is fairminded, that the church-goer has as much right to undisturbed tranquility as he himself has, and the protest ing clergy who want the car service to cease during church hours are not asking it out of any spirit of crankiness There isn t any doubt that our tram service is an exceptionally noisy one, and that, as the Rev Kennedy Elliott suggested when a deputation from the Council of Churches waited on the Public Works Committee of the City Council, the voices of the conductors are anything but restful. One councillor remarked that the people who had been out on Sunday excursions would be inconvenienced by the stopping of the trams In reply, it might be observed, "Wellington once had a horse-car service." • • « Anyhow, it is selfish of excursionists or any other class of citizen to be the means of disturbing the devotions of a considerable section of the commumtv who have certainly as much moral right to be considered as the users of the trams If the citizens who spend the day m out-of-doors pleasures are too tired to walk home, tli— might cut their excursion say half-an-hour shorter, as they were bound to do when the running of the hoise-cars to time depended on many irritating circumstances * * • The stoppage of the tram traffic during church service is regarded m many other places as a just concession to church-goers, and, seeing that the citizens are themselves the owners of the system, the question of revenue isn't to be considered Unquestionable the disturbance caused bv the syren-hke noise of the cars will further deplete church congrega-

tions, and that largo body of people who are vexed and distressed, by the work-arday clatter of the trams while at public worship may surely ask foi an hour and arhalf's peace and quiet on the day of rest * * * At any rate, the City Council might well make the experiment, just to see how it works Pei*haps not many individuals would squeal as you may think If it is proved that the majontv suffer inconvenience bv the cessation for a couple of hours of tiie trams, it is easily rectified, but we feel sure the majority of citizens would welcome the temporary silence which would enable them to worship in quietness and peace.