NEW ’BUS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1922, Page 5

NEW ’BUS.

FOR SUBURBAN NEEDS. TO COST £3OOO. BOROUGH COUNCIL’S “That a second passenger ’but be procured,” was a. notice of motion moved by the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) at last night’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council. Mr. Wilson said that a quotation for a new ’bus had been obtained, which would cost £lB5O for the chassis, £BOO for a duplicate battery, and about £4OO fbr A body, a total cost of practically £3OOO. This ’bus would be an improvement on 'the present one, and would, he understood, carry slightly more passengers. The purchase of a petrol ’bus was out of the question, •» the cost of running such a ’bus wae shown by the experience of the Palmerston North Borough Council. Cr. T. N. Blackball seconded the. motion. I The electrical engineer (Mr. R. TL Bartley), answering a question, said the A 8 batteries used in the ’bus proposed gave better results than the bat* tery in the present ’bus. Answering Cr. R. A. Large, thd Mayor said no date of delivery was stated, though he believed it would take about four months to come, so that the ’bus will be in use by the middle of the summer, at any rate. The capacity of the ’bus was given at 20 normal and 30 overloaded. Cr. Kibby said he must oppose the proposal for purchasing another Thm. He acknowledged that Westown «n« Vogeltown should have better tinxMSport facilities, but he considered council was going the wrong way a boot it. The ’bus, he thought, would delay the tram extensions. It would be better for the residents of these suburos to put up with the inconvenience canned a little longer and concentrate their efforts on pushing on with the extension of the tramway system. Cr. Parkin opposed the motion bn, the same grounds. He considered the £3OOO would be better spent in ex* tending the Morley Street route. Speaking again, Cr. Kibby said than at the present time four trams, which had cost between £lO,OOO and £li/XW. were not earning money, and the quicker they were made to earn by ex tending the system the better it be for the department., He considered that £3OOO was too big a liability far the trams to incur, an amount he said, would be increased by £6OO after twelve months. Cr. Large was of the same opnuoa as the last two speakers. He saidtha tram system could be extended to Wee* town by the middle of 1923. Cr. Dingle supported the Mayor e motion, as he considered that two years was too long to inconyenienca these suburban residents, whilst tha purchase of a second ’bus would not da* lav the tramway extensions. Crs. Brown, Rumball, Griffiths, an£ Blackhall spoke in similar strain. On being put and a show of hands taken, the motion was carried by six votes to three, Crs. Kibby, Parkin and Large being in the minority. A further motion was carried than the matter o-f procuring a second ’bua be left to the finance committee.