ROTORUA BUSES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 301, 15 August 1929, Page 1

ROTORUA BUSES.

ON MAMAKU ROAD. No Alteration. Two letters from the Rotorua Bus Company relative to the use of the > Mamaku road were before the Mataruata County Council at its meeting on Friday. The first letter asked the council to receive and hear the company’s representative, stating,;siat this stephad been taken .after consultation with the Railways Department. It was pointed out that during the past two months the company had handled . about 600 farmer excursionists from * Putaruru to Arapuni. If they were not allowed to use the road the Railways Department would be put to inconvenience and the company would toe the losers. It was stressed that the company did not compete in any way with the railways but worked in conjunction. ?; > The second letter was an applica-

tion to traverse the council’s portion of the Mamaku highway with two v light buses and also for permission to send the whole of their fleet (unladen) to Putaruru in the event of the Railways Department requiring them in connection with excursions to Arapuni. The application in respect to the two buses was to be allowed to use such occasionally {not more than twice a week). The chairman (Cr. Anderson) remarked that to say they were working in conjunction with the Railways .Department was absurd, for in order to do so they would require a week’s notice. How could they know if it j were going to be wet or fine? j Cr. Allen Said the Bus Company was apparently desirous of extending j A * ts operations. The tourists should | ™ have to pay for it, not the ratepayers. J The county engineer (Mr. M. 'E. i Fitzgerald) pointed out that surely i . the idea was to keep the tourists in j S>, Rotorua and not to take them to | Arapuni. j Cr. Allen instanced a Hamilton company which was operating against the railways. Mr. Fitzgerald said it was still to be* proved that the Railways Department preferred Rotorua buses, which have to travel 35 miles to Putaruru, in preference to Hamilton buses, which had a less distance to travel and over better roads. Cr. A. T. Morris was of the opinion

that if the applications were granted > It would not be long before the company would be running buses to Hamilton. Mr. Fitzgerald interjected “ And to Auckland also.” Continuing, Mr. Fitzgerald said this company never missed a football match : or a race meeting in Waikato. The chairman (Cr. Anderson) said it was quite all right to carry passengers from Putaruru to Arapuni. Mr. Fitzgerald pointed out that the Rotorua Borough Council had not appreciated the fact that the Matamata County Council had never been approached for a permit to carry the farmer excursionists. Cr. K. S. Cox said it should be made clear that fhe buses could only run after a permit had been applied for and granted. Ashfor the two trips a week, it would be impossible to grant this. The chairman said it should be made clear that the council was not able to alter its position. Mr. Fitzgerald read an article that appeared in an Auckland daily and members generally were of the opinion that the article in question would give a wrong impression to those not acquainted with the true position. He then read a letter he had , written to another Auckland paper in answer to the first paper’s criticism. The chairman said he would send copies of this letter to the Main Highways Board. The discussion closed by Cr. Dee jocularly remarking that it should he pointed' out that there were ther- . mal springs at Okoroire and the council was trying to divert the

traffic thereto. Messrs. Albert Smith (chairman of directors) and James Diver (director) of the Rotorua Bus Company, waited on the council later in the day.

Mr. Smith said he had brought down for inspection a machine which when fully loaded exceeded the council’s weight by only half a ton. They also asked for permission to carry passengers from the railway to Arapuni. They had no intention of running a service. With these trips the vehicles would be unloaded and would do the minimum of damage. The chairman said their applications were vague and the company could not foretell the weather for the railway trip. Mr. Smith admitted this was so and said they had no -intention of competing .with the railways. %- ■’ 1 The Chairman : Your application is simply to carry passengers from ‘Putaruru to Arapuni.

Mr. Smith agreed, though odd applications came from places like Maj tamata to carry a sports team. They were out to play the game and do a fair thing. I The Engineer : How often do you think there would be railway trips ? The reply was that there were about six to eight for the past 12 1 months. The Engineer : There would be no difficulty in putting in applications for such trips ? Mr. Smith : The council might net be sitting and vve could not get a j permit. Cr. Cox : You could get an answer I from us in five minutes by ringing up the clerk. j

j Mr. Smith : Well, we do not want to misuse the road, as it is not to our advantage to do so. The engineer explained that there were many others also concerned. Mr. Smith said some of the daily l service cars with balloon tyres travelling at high speed did more damage. | Balloon tyres were the sole cause of , corrugation on roads throughout New ! Zealand. I The engineer stated that if the I road was let go into ruts that would I be the end of it. Nine inches of shingle had been put pn and now there was only half an inch...in places. The | shingle was a cheap covering, cost- ! ing 10s per yard, while the next hardest would cost about £2. It was [ all a matter of money and the High-/ 1 ways Board had a big say in the matter and had handed the road over to the council. Mr. Smith held that fast traflje broke up the road quicker than slower buses with a four-ton limit. They were not asking for anything out of the way, being only half a ton over in weight, and as they were a trading company they were entitled to some consideration. ) The Engineer : The council has never yet been asked for a specific trip but always for an open check. Mr. Smith replied that this was perhaps due to their ignorance. Often at 8 a.m. there was not one seat ‘ booked for Arapuni and an hour later ; they would have a load. He suggested they be given the right to four trips per week and if they abused the privilege the permit could be cancelled. ; . The deputation then withdrew and the council considered the Question afresh. At the conclusion of the discussion, on the motion of the chair- ! .man and Cr. Allen the council decided to forward a written reply that it could not alter its previous decision but that applications could be made for special trips from Putaruru to Arapuni and would be con- i sidered on their merits.