RACES AND TRAMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 100, 29 April 1924, Page 8

RACES AND TRAMS.

THE EASTER DELAY. A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. The traffic at the end of a day's racing at Ellcrslie offers some difficulty to the Auckland Power Board, by reason of the immense amount of power required on one section for the brief period of the rush.. The matter was discussed at length by the Auckland Power Board yesterday afternoon. The manager and engineer reporting on the delay which occurred on Easter Saturday, said there was an interruption to the supply at the Epsom tramway sub-station. It was not due to the pow*r station or its arrangements. The engineer detailed the technicalities of the working at the station, and added that apparently the load on Easter Saturday was heavier than on the following Monday. With so many cars at Ellerslie at five o'clock it was essential that care should be taken by the tramway department to regulate the traffic so as to obviate an unreasonable load on the sub-station and its feeders. Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, chairman, said that what had happened was expected. He was surprised at the manner in which the cars were piled on the line. Their departure should have been regulated. What was going to happen when double the number of people were returning from Ellerslie? asked Mr. J. Rowe. "You say you expected trouble. I say we have no right to expect trouble. This is only tlip beginning, and at every meeting you will get an increase of people." Mr. T. Bloodworth emphasised that on six previous occasions the traffic had been efficiently dealt with. There would have been no trouble if those in charge had acted in the same manner aa before. The engineer later had the floor, and said that race traffic was always difficult, but after the installation of the 1000 kilowatt converter at Newmarket it had been carried comfortably. The carrying of race traffic, however, would always present great difficulty. The report was referred to the Works Committee, the chairman remarking that some extra provision might have to be made.