MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 April 1919, Page 6

MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

ENGINEER'S REPORT. In his monthly report to the Borouph Council, the engineer (Mr. Cook) states us follows Mains and services.—Five new services have been installed, one service renewed, new stop taps put in services where required, one valve repaired and repacked, one fire plug repaired, one plug box renewed, mains flushed, and one service repaired. A burst occurred in the sixinch spiral main in Devon Road, near Strandon, an examination disclosing a hole about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, which has been repaired. Many portions of these mains are in a worn condition. The annual inspection is 'in progress. Seven hundred inspections have been made to date, and notices served where required.

Streets. —Devon Street: Repairs have been made between Liardet and Gover Streets. The first length was laid down with clean metal and sprayed with tar, rolled, and then covered with tar macadam chips, rolled solid, and finally dressed with a top coat—the cost being just under the estimate. As the weather made for so much delay in getting the first coat down penetration was abandoned and a carpet coat laid only over the surface of the rolled metal. Henui Bridge: It was found necessary to remove a portion of the old covering to the bottom timbers, which have been served with tar, afterwards being laid over with tar macadam. Only two inches of fall is available from the tram rails to the side, which is hardly sufficient to shed water quickly. Advantage, however, has been taken of the camber to aid the drainage.. The work has not gone on as qui»kly as planned out, for want of carts and labor. When one has been available the other has not. The bridge itself is in first-class order, but the steel work will have to be painted shortly, as rusting has started. Additional tarring and other work has been done on Tukapa, Avenue, and Frankley Roads and Eliot Street, and the metalling of Vivian Street is nearly completed. Mangorei, Carrington, and Breakwater Roads have also received attention.

TRAMWAY AND BUS SERVICES. The electrical engineer and tramways manager (Mr. R.|H. Bartley) reports as follows on the working of the tramways and electric bus for March, 1919:

The figures given for the electric bus are from March 11 to March 31, and do not include any rcvyiue earned other than on the routes shown. The tramways returns for the month show an increase of £23 as compared with March, 1918. The returns from the bus are much better than expected, but it will be well to bear in mind that these returns must drop somewhat as the service levels up. It. is apparent from the average fare per passenger that a number of people are still travelling on cash fares, and this is rather surprising, unless it be that the casual traffic is a good deal more than anticipated. Tramways.—Mileage run 16,913, revenue per car mile 14.(i4d, passengers carried 141,758, passengers per car mile 8.38, average fare per passenger 1.75 d, total fares £1034 16s Id. Electric bus.—Combined routes: Mileage run 1202, revenue per mile 14.06 d, passengers carried 4197, passengers per mile 3.49, average fare per passenger 4.02 d, units per mile 1.79, total fares £7O 8s Bd.

A comparison between the Vogeltown and Westown traffic shows that the Vogeltown passengers numbered 1568, against Westown's 2629, and the revenue £25 4s 6d, against £45 4s 2d.