The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The evening news, Morning news and The Echo. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1908. THE TRAMWAY COMMISSION'S REPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 211, 3 September 1908, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The evening news, Morning news and The Echo.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1908. THE TRAMWAY COMMISSION'S REPORT.

tor Hie cause that lacks atsistano* for the torong _.«_. ___<__ renitanod, jfor the future in f?ie distance, I -ln__ the uooa that we can do.

Thp report of the Roj-al Commission, set up to inquire into the efficiency and working, power of the brakes oa the Auckland tramway system has now been laid before Parliament; and we fear that those of our fellow-citizens who are always nervously anticipating that something will go wrong with the trams, will not be much reassured by its perusal. It is satisfactory to learn that in the opinion of the Commission the motormen are properly trained, and have a good knowledge of the working mechanism of the cars and brakes; and, though the brakes are not in the best of repair, the Commission is satisfied that the Tramway Company is taking steps to put then in good working order. But, from the public point of view, the most important question that can be asked about our tramways is, are the precautions taken against all possible dangers sufficient to give the passengers a reasonable chance of safety when an emergency arises? The answer to this query, is contained in the section of the report which states that the existing brakes, when in good "are sufficient for the ordinary control of the cars, but are not sufficiently powerful or quick in their action for use in emergencies."' This subject is obviously of such extreme public importance that we make no apology for dwelling on it at some length.

The comparison made between the brakes in use on the Auckland and Wellington tramways may not appeal very strongly to the general reader, because of the differences in load, speed, and grade. But we may quote the instance of an

"emergency" stop on an Auckland lino, in which, with hand brake, track brake, and second emergency brake, applied simultaneously, the car, travelling at ordinary service epeed, ra-n for over 80 yards 'before it stopped. On the Wellington line, a similar car travelling on a slightly better grade, was stopped by the magnetic emergency brake hi about 11 yards. The contrast is sufficiently striking; and the moral is pointed carefully by the Commissioner's report, which, after showing that 'the results obtained in Auckland ■with the emergency brake were actually not as good as those secured by the hand brake alone, declares that "the electrical emergency brake is useless for quick stops descending a hill." Considering the remarkably undulating character of the ground here, it would seem t-hat the emergency brake now in use stands candemned beyond hope of reprieve. The report shows that our first emergency brake is largely neutralised by the skidding of the wheels, the use of the second is practically prohibited by the Tramway Company because it damages the motors; and the third is very unreliable, often failing to act altogether. And as the value of such precautions must always be measured by their efficiency in a sudden crisis, we regret that the report is so unfavourable to the brakes with which the Auckland cars are. fitted.

The remedy proposed by the Commission is the substitution of some form of magnetic brake for the electrical emergency now in use here. The special brake .they recommend appears to be extremely

simple in its action; and -we m*^* ce™ a - I in passing that, as the eriiSclsm in the report shows, one of the ™rst features j of our Auckland* <»ib 'is" tna t the variety j oi controllers in USe te "ds to confuse ' the molormeiv and prevents them from ' acting with speed and decision when the necessity arises. 4 As to the magnetic brake, it is admittedly the best kind of I brake yet devised for ordinary street I traction. What is required, aays a distinguished American authority, is a brake that will be indtependent of the weather so far as greasy lines and muddy streets are eon-cerned, and so powerful that it can bring the car to an instant - stop under almost any conditions. The only brake that so far appears to fill all these requirements is the magnetic brake. It is largely in use in Europe and the best London brakes of this type are eaid to be twice as powerful as any at work in America. To use the magnetic brake, the motorman need onlj shut off the current and push the controller handle over quickly. The motors are at once converted into dynamos, and the current thus generated flows through the magnets suspended between the wheels just above the track. The magnets not only drag heavily on the rails, but practically clamp the car down to the line, and at. the same time automatically set -the' brake-shoes on the wheels. The results secured by the mag-1 netic brake at Home and on the Con-1 tinent prove its superiority over all rivals; and we hope that the Tramway Company will see the necessity for following at once the advice tendered hy the Royal Commission. At present our so-called emergency brakes are condemn-' ed ac inferior even to hand brakes; and on this point it is sufficient to add that [ there is not one great city in Europe j in which hand brakes alone are employed on street cars. But even with the best brakes and the most effective equipment in the world our tramway service •will never be what it should be unless it is subject to rigid and impartial inspection. Quito apart from the brakes, the report shows the necessity ior such a course in relation to the whole of the Auckland tramways rolling stock, which is stated to have been very much neglected. "The general standard of maintenance used to be so low that the repairers must 1 have considered that so long as a car would run and the brakes could be applied in the shed it was fit for traffic.' . Such a state of things could hardly have | existed if a system of inspection by I competent Government oflkials had been in force, and we trust that Parliament i will carry into effect the Commission's j suggestion, and undertake the periodical! inspection of the tramway rolling stock throughout the Dominion. Several important details mentioned in the report in connection with the use of sand on j the lines and the clogging of the -wheels in wet weather should also receive immediate attention from the Tramway Company. Apart from these matters,' the most important question dealt with by the Commission was the rate of speed attained on certain trips. The re-1 port shows that to make up for the heavy pull up College Hill and Yictoriastreet, the Heme Bay cars have to run over 15 miles an hour on easier parts of the route, and, in view of the inefficient ■ brakes in use, the Commission considers ] that "such a high rate of speed is attended by grave risks." Apparently the running on the Kingsland route is open ■ to similar criticism; and some read.iult-1 ment of the time-table on these trips is ! evidently required. The Commission em-! phatically expresses the opinion that to drive the cars at excessive speeds over certain sections of the lines so as to make up for time lost on others is a very dangerous practice; and there is nothing in the report that demands more careful attention than this from the Tramway Company and the municipal authorities. Now that these questions have been so carefully considered by competent and impartial experts, the people of Auckland know where they .stand, and it will "be our own fault if the force of popular opinion here does not compel those responsible for the safety of the travelling public to take all reasonable precautions to secure it.