PROPOSED TRAMWAY SYSTEM

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 257, 30 April 1912, Page 8

PROPOSED TRAMWAY SYSTEM

PETROL VERSUS ELECTRICITY. THE LATTER FAVORED. Additional information relative to the design and cost of petrol-driven tramcars has been received by the New Plymouth Borough Council, through the High Commissioner's office, London. The illustrations depict very handsome single and double-deck petrol-driven cars. SThe former type has a seating capacity of 20, and is capable of drawing a trailer, while the double-decked car can accommodate 16 passengers in its interior and 24 outside. A point to note is the speed of the cars, which is set down as ten and four miles per hour. The price for a single-deck car f.o.b. at Glasgow is £9OO, and £IOOO for a double-decker. ESTIMATED COST OF RUNNING ' The 'estimated cost of running the cars, including petrol, lubricant, electric light and repairs, is approximately threepence to fourpence per car mile, "assuming the costs to be the same as in the Old Country." In regard to capital cost, the makers of the petrol cars claim that they .represent a saving over the central station an< * overhead wire system commonly adopted throughout New Zealand, of upwards of 30 per cent. The capital expenditure per car mile of single track of the overhead system works out at £12,947, as against £7OOO claimed as the approximate cost per car mile in the jense of the petrol-driven car. The Turning expenses are stated to be the same in both systems, with the exception of the power supply. Or this point hangs the basis of comparison. The cost of power is practically twopence per car mile for electricity and one penny if the power is derived from petrol. One of the advantages of petrol-driven cars is. state the builders, that in the event of any disturbance in the central station of the overhead system, the whole service is suspended, whereas a in the petrol system is purely local, and would only throw the one car out of action. It appears that the petrol car? referred to have only been used in a certain district in Russia, in Curacao (South America), at Rio De Janiem' (Brazil), and at Shepperd's Bush, White City, London. At the latter place they were in regular use for three years, during six months in each vear, running, however, on a perfectly flat road. THE MAYOR'S OPINIONS.

J To a News reporter the Mayor (Mr. G. W. Browne) said that after running through the bulky pile of information to hand, he was quite of the opinion that iwhen it came to a "toss up" between petrol and electricity, the former would Have to go by the board. He added that he was influenced by more than one aspect of the question. First and foremost was the fact that it was quite clear that petrol-driven cars had not yet passed the experimental stage.

i NOT FOR NEW PLYMOUTH TO i EXPERIMENT. ; To his mind it was not for a small borough like New Plymouth to experiment with any new invention. It could not afford to take the risk. Even the places which had experimented had only for a start imported the smallest number of cars. In one case one was supplied; in another case two, and so on. SPEEDS TOO LOW. Speed was also an important factor in providing a system of tramways for a hilly town of the nature of New Plymouth. How, then, wo/d the council fare with the petrol cars when their highest speed was only 15 miles and the lowest not more than four miles an hour. The tests which had been taken in the countries mentioned had been held over level country under favorable conditions. The council had no information at all about the capabilities of the cars in taking grades. If they could only go four miles an hour over' grades, New Plymouth would be worse off than with horse 'buses. It was also to be observed, continued Mr. Browne, that there was an extreme probability of [petrol power costing more per mile in New Zealand than in the Old Country. What was a penny in England might mean twopence hero. In anv case, he was convinced that beinjf already in possession of an electric light works, the 1 borough could produce electric power just as low, if not cheaper, than wie penny per car mile. Summed up, the Mayor said that he could not see anvthing that would justify him in recommending the ratepayers to adopt the petrol system of traction. Ho. concluded by stating that before the council moved in the matter it would, as it had already arranged, get a proper comparison of the two modes of traction from Mr. Black, consulting engineer.