THE TRAMWAY BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 250, 19 October 1907, Page 4

THE TRAMWAY BILL.

AUCKLAND SERVICE CTITO3BEP.i : HON. McGOWAN SAYS BlLl/™ ? "'NECESSARY. -V , (ByTelegrapa.-Own corresponaent.y: ' WELLINGTON, Friday;" A deputation from which, are protestmg against the ways .Act Amendment-. Bill: waitedW the Acting f or, Public mZ (Hon. Jas. MeGowan to-day.- - . Mr Kidd, who was present as the i*i presentatiye of the Auckland City (W' cil, read the Council's objections a» £* ouUn a letter from the Mayor 0 f Aug Mr Poole said that where they found a ear, system operated in! the interest* of shareholders, the company should ba under careful supervision in : fhn interests .of the .public. > yjj of what had transpired in t Auckland' he thought that an amendment 'of the Tramways Act was very, necessary. He was glad to hear that the Auckland City Council approved of clause 2 in regard to the examination of motorrneh. A& to clause 3 (dealmg with the inspectida o;f,,tramways) he contended that it wai very necessary that there should be"ar careful inspection of rolling-stock, especi' ally, on lines run by.private companies! It was the impression in Auckland—ani evidence was forthcoming to that effect —•that the rolling stock'there was nota3 safe as it might be, and that,"although; the, men operating the cars were asked 1 to pay regard to. the safety of life'and. limb wherever possible, they had hot got at .their disposal the appliances necessary to enable them to operate ,the cars ia such a . -way ..as. to ensure" a minimum of" danger to' the travelling public. He thought there should be a, constant and urfto-date 'inspection■■■: of rolling stock by the-Government, particularly in regard to private companies, y •'ln respect to the "regulations in" clause 5 he thought there was ah unneceßsary number' of-: sub-clauses.": ;The- -jnani' . clause's of the' bill were very necessary/ so far at any rate as Auckland was concerned. He had no : desire -. to' run' een- / trary to the wishes of the Auckland City Council, but unless they had 'more efe , cient management: of the; tramways. in that city they would have still -further trouble, and possibly ' some' deplorable disaster. r "I am not here/ neadded, "to run down'the city- Trepresont, but'-I do not think, that ■ the Southern cities ap. preciate the difficulties that we-hive to contend with up there with a; private - company manipulating cars, on the'city's; highways." ' ' J" The Mayor of Wellington (the Hon.T. Hislop) said he did not know :of as£ :' difficulties in Auckland which could not; be" righted under the powers cordenftT by the present Act. It was absurdtdi assume that the local Bodies were coin-;'. pibsed of such a Bet' of imbecilies as not to know whether their rolling stock wa* v :; being kept in order;.' He considered ttit Government inspectibn"-was useless ut gard to tramcars," a* they were exariiined every night. .' ' '...-'■ ■•;'•• '•■,..■:"-" ■■■■ Mr Kidd deriiedthat ,the Auckland cant were not as safe as ""they supervision, of the cats) was the best men that ' the company? could Mr Poole said it was generally acknoiip, .ledged that the' people of the South" gaW' ed! their experience from the disasters'of the-North., (Vpicesj. No, no.) It was a fact that the "appliances oh the Auckland cars were sufficiently reliable to- give the public * guarantee of a maximum of safety. This ;- company was being operated;for divi*' dends, on this economical basis. ' '[ A voice: Well, let the Bill apply t| Auckland only. Mr Baume, M.H.R., said that if Mi Poole's . statements could be .borne, but , they would constitute a. serious indictf; meat against the Auckland City Council If wkat'Mr'Poole said was correct;the Auckland people had the remedy in theif . own hands. He had no reason to suppose that the Council had hot done its besf in. the interests of the ratepayers and the, general public. He. believed in the extension rather than the curtailment ol municipal powers. In regard to oyer-crowding-there was-a difference betweea; trains and tramcars. On railways it' diJ '■ hot endanger' life, but on tritnicars n M y„ Mr Poole: And there have been char-' ges-of manslaughter. Mr Baume, referring to the new by-laW permitting a "limited number, -of strap? hangers, saai that if the people thought the City Council had not acted wisely, the remedy was in their own hands. - Mr Poole said-that.the old Council had been turned.put because the people had no faith in it, and the present Council was trying to drag order out of chaos. It was a knotty problem that it had to deal with, add perhaps: the- greatest trouble to be faced consisted in; the fee? that, vested'interest in regard;, to .the Tramways Company was still represented oh'the Council. , '"■■■'..'"'"' ... '; Mr Fisher: Apparently this bui/irui suit Auckland right down to thegrounoi ' Mr Kidd: rdo not agree with you.' ;, 'Tlie Minister, in the course of his re? ply, said that he had bad-several: eon* munications conveying support, as as condemnation of the bill. He had had letters from motormen and electrical engineers, amongst others, .expressing then: opinion .that such a bill was necessary. "I am still more convinced, f e F*** "from what.l have.heard,. that,we ougM to have some such bill" ' _ ~ -.« . Mr Hislop .(Mayor of Wellmgtpnlib«J it was no more reasohable for ernment to take over the msp + ection J tramways than it would b? cipal bodies to claim the right of ing the Government's railways. _ . >- , Mr McGowan -. If the had people qualified to inspect the ran, • ways we would not object to.it - Mr Hislop: They have just. a|jg;;; reason for Apposing themselves n capa^ :; of inspecting the railways, as you *avj for proclaiming power to inspect out tramways. .. .-. .., ■' - - 'V; !