The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3. THE TRAMWAY QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 218, 3 February 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3. THE TRAMWAY QUESTION.

fi: another column .Mr. -J. .McLeod indulges ill -ome quaintly creap criticism at tin' expense uf the local press regarding it- attitude over the tramways question. accusing it ot illeoiisistellev, misleading till- public. executing a "'volte face. anil a variety uf otlier sins of onn—iimi anil rouimission. fl>' is aastray in liis faets as lie is ill appreciation o) tlmse who eannot, under present i irent a m e-. "swallow" overhead elecirie trains. and liis criticism loses whatever foree it might otherwise have possessed. \\ e yield not even to our correspondent in the desire to see (lie town keep abreast ot the times, but before V"l Jiiii mi tlie very important proposal of borrowing e.VUibO for installing the overhead sy-teni of eleetrie transit, we wain to j'eel tlnu the wisest. thing is being done. In the first place we wish 1" correct Mr. MW.cod's statement that have in the past earnestly advocated the overhead >y-ieni. We have not. We have loiight for iraius. certainly, but ior nll particular sy.-ieni. We would have welcomed a cheaper system than (lie electric overhead -ysfem. providing, ot course, equally satisfac-orv results could be obtained, and we had hopes thai storage battery cars, costing so much '

I <>f than (lie overhead system, would lill the bill. No definite information regarding this system being available, however, it could not ho considered at this stage, But even if we had been warm advocates of the overhead system in the past, \\m would, wc think, be <jui te .justified in modifying or changing our views, for the reason ili.it. within the hist year—less than a year, in fuel—very great improvements have been cll'ected in the motor-bus. I'lie modern motorbus is as different from the 'bus that was running for a sliorl time between Xew Plymouth and Opuuakc as the modLin bicycle is dillercnt from the old | velocipede. 1 here is no comparison whatever. We do not pretend to have expelt knowledge of the modern motorbus. We have 111)1 even seen one. But dining the past few months we. have beard and read a good deal about its success. I he.-,, buses are running sue-' cessfully, it j.s said, in llawke's Bay and m Mornington (l)unedin). In the case ot the former the ratepayers of Napier are so much impressed with, them that they or a number of them-desire to determine the contracts already let for the electric tramways. Jn Mornington (Dunedin) the ears hid fair to convert tin: crippling loss on the borough's former traffic system into an actual piofit. I hey have only been running a short time, but the Timaru Council thought so highly of them that instead of accepting .Mr.. Black's overhead electric scheme, they decided, by 10 to 2, to ask the ratepayers lo instal 'buses. Timaru has over twice the population ot Xew Plymouth. .Mornington has far sleeper gradients (han there are ill Xew Plymouth. The Kelburne people are not extending their cable tramways; they are putting on motor-buses. Mr. Smithson. for many years a prominent citizen of Timaru. has told Timaru that in Ills travels in Europe and America he lias seen a good deal of trams and motorbuses, and is of opinion that tile 'buses are cheaper and better, and he is perfectly satislied that before long the 'buses will have run tlic trams off. Mr. Wavmouth.a member of the Christchurch TiiUinjay Board ami Harbor Board, a keen and level-headed public man, who has just returned from a visit Home, advises the Christehimh Hoard to -go sloxy" with tramway extension, and make,' lar«e allowance for depreciation, owing to the encroachment of the victorious motorbus. Ah'. \\. .McLean, secretary of the Bonithou Oil Company, who has just returned from a trip to America, says Xew Plymouth would be making a great mistake if it went to the expense of installing an overhead tramway, when the motor-bus is proving nn unqualified success in the older countries. Mr. I\ Pagan, a Xew Plymouth property-holder, who has just returned from a trip through Britain, says the same. We ask, in face of all this evidence, is it not vise to investigate the merits—and demerits—of the motor-bus before committing ourselves to electric trams? Would any sane business man in this town think ot embarking on an enterprise involving, the expenditure of a large sum of money before he was absolutely satisfied that lie was doing the wisest thing? Of course he would not; lie would obtain and carefully weigh all the pros and cons before committing himself. As with an individual, so with a municipality. It may be said that the Council has gone into the question very carefully and recommended what is in the best interests of the tbwn. It may have done so, but the ratepayers, after all, will have to bear the liability, and they are entitled to more information on which to base their judgment lhan has been given them so far by the Council, the Council i have sought expert advice. Very true—- , the advice of a gentleman who is an electrical engineer and who naturally believes in the overhead system against all others, and—unconsciously, perhaps—he is biassed ,again,st all other systems, and none more than against the niot.or L bns: Moreover, the fact, cannot be lost sight of that Mr. Black will doubtless have charge of the supervision of the trams, if installed, lor ourselves, we require a report on the motor-bus from another source before we are .satisfied. It may be that wheu the two system are compared first cost, upkeep, depreciation and the several charges—that it will be found the electric overhead is, after all. the better system to adopt. We are quite open to conviction on the point. We want to see the town progress, a system of transit instituted, and a start made as soon as possible. But surely tlie ratepayers should have something moie on which to base their judgment than Mr. Black ■> reports. We would like to see the poll postponed for a week or two and a delegation of representative citizens pay a. visit of inspection, say. to llawke's Bay and examine the ears and report to iiie ratepayers Oil their working. W ( . would then have a better idea of the suitability of the motor-bus for this town. We attach little importance to the reports upon the older types id' motor-buses in use in different parts of Australia, as there is said to be no comparison between lliem and the new types. Xo harm can be done by postponing the poll for a fewweeks. and a very considerable amount of good might accrue. The ratepayers would then be able to vote with their eyes open to (lie whole of (he fads. This cannot be mi id if they go to the poll now. Meanwhile there cannot be too much discussion „f the whole subject .More enlighlcninent is wanted. Warning newspapers for doing what they conceive to be their duty, or the "tu quoque" style of argument, will not assist in the elucidation of ;i problem that is of the utmost importance to the ratepayers of the town.