STILL NO FINALITY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 900, 18 February 1930, Page 7

STILL NO FINALITY

INDECISION ABOUT BUSES TO BLOCKHOUSE The two applicants, the Auckland Bus Company and M. W. Karews, who wish to operate a bus service from the city to Blockhouse Bay in place of a service run by the Transport Board still have to bide their time, as they have been doing for many weeks. Their applications again came before the board this morning when the question of transport in the Blockhouse Bay district was under consideration. Residents of the suburb had notified the board at a meeting last week by 83 votes to 72 that they wanted private enterprise. In moving that the applications be referred to the board-in-committee, the acting-chairman, Mr. G. Baildon, said that since the residents’ meeting he had been in conference with the manager, Mr. A. E. Ford, and that it might be possible to arrange something satisfactory to both factions. Mr. E. FI. Potter, who characterised that statement as indefinite, said that as the board was losing £4,200 a year over its service it should at once hand over to a private operator, who alone could .make the service pay. Playing with the situation was a mistake. On the proposed Avondale tram extension Mr. Potter did not think that ratepayers would sanction the loan of £ 52.000 as proposed, until Parliament had had a chance of debating the Government’s rejection of the Morniligside tunnel scheme. “I am not satisfied that Parliament will turn down a scheme to electrify the suburban lines,” he said. “It will he foolish for this board to extend beyond its present programme because we shall meet with objection in later years,” he added. His amendment that the board should hand over the Blockhouse Bay service to private enterprise for five years lapsed for want of a seconder.

Mr* E. Rhodes did not see why the board should part with a service simply because 83 people desired other operators. The extension to Avondale would put a new complexion on the bus service. He did not agree with Mr. Potter that the electrification of the railway to Avondale would damage the tram service. The proposed tramway would cater for a different section of residents. Mr. E. Morton supported the motion because he believed the question should be thoroughly discussed. “I think that Mr. Potter is more confident that the powers-that-be are going to electrify the railways than the board is,” remarked Mr. E. J. Phelan. Mr. J. Wood claimed that electrification would not make people ride in trains any more than they now did with steam. Mr. Potter: Speed! Mr. Baildon said that granting a licence to private enterprise would mean running buses six miles parallel tc the trams. Further, there was not the population at Blockhouse Bay to warrant a. frequent through service. The question was referred to the board-in-committe*.