HOSPITAL BUS FARES.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17980, 27 March 1930, Page 9

HOSPITAL BUS FARES.

TO REMAIN AS AT PRESENT COMMITTEE'S DECISION. At last night’s meeting of the Licensing Authority the chairman, Mr J. R. Fow, presided. Considerable discussion took place oyer a letter from the Waikato Hospital Board which suggested that the fares on the buses lo and from the hospital should be reduced. The letter stated that at Palmerston North it cosL 4cl for a distance of about two miles on the hospital bus. -Mr W. J. King, on behalf of Mr Dunn, the proprietor of the service, tallied a balance-sheet of tho company and a comparison between costs, etc., in Hamilton and Palmerston North, bclore the committee, and explained the matter in detail. The balancesheet had been prepared on his recommendation. Several members of the committee were of the opinion that ttie balancesheet plainly showed that the fares could not be reduced. Taking everything into consideration, the proprietor was to be congratulated on running the business as he did. Several questions were put to Mr King, one reply eliciting the i'aot that none of the buses had been on the road for more than three and a half years. Mr C. L. Lafferty asked whether it was not true that a bus bearing the name “St. Andrews” had been plying for over five years, whereat Mr Dunn replied that all his busses bore that legend. Mr S. V. Tyler, while agreeing that apparently Mr Dunn could not bring down liis prices, and that therefore the committee could take no action, thought it would be as well if Mr Dunn considered whether another could come in and give better service at a lower price, although 1 maintaining that Mr Dunn ran a very good service, of which there were no complaints. Mr Lafferty considered that a return ticket at 9d should be issued, lie favoured that or a 4d single fare. Many people visiting the hospital were of the poorer class and could ill afford the transport costs. As one of long experience with trucks and cars Mr F- J. Farrell congratulated Mr King on his statement of Mr Dunn’s affairs. As for IVD- Dunn, he felt that after what he had accomplished, he would like to give him the position of running his motor vehicles. Mr C. W. J- Barton did not think the Hospital Board had gone fully into the question. They had been told of the proposal and had referred it to the Licensing Committee as the p’riper body to deal with it. The committee eventually decided that the fares should stand as at present. Messrs. Lafferty and Wilson dissenting.