MOTOR BUS COMPETITION.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 249, 20 October 1924, Page 9

MOTOR BUS COMPETITION.

IT THE TRAMS ARE SUPERSEDED. THE PUBLIC PAYS. Emphasising the need for the people of Auckland to make use of the tramears when in a position to do so. Mr. T. Bloodworth, in the course nf an address lust evening at the Strand j Theatre dealing with the trams ami : buses, gave a number of reasons why the I public fhould do this. There was a big; ! audience, llr. H, Campbell being in the chair. Pointing out that the competition of the motor buses with the trams was a serious problem, Mr. Woodworth said that many people entertained tin , opinion that in time the buses would supersede the trams, but sn far this lmd not occurred in any city in the world. No i less an authority than Lord Ashfield. I general manager of the London General Omnibus Company, had stated that buses would never supersede trams, and had pone further and expressed the opinion that competition in transport would always end in disaster. At present the Auckland tramways employed 12/>0 men and had a wages bill of £GOOO a week. They also paid rent, rates and part profit to the city, uped electricity, a New Zealand product, while the buses on the other hand had a small wages bill, used benzine, an j imported product, and paid not more than fl2 per year license fee per bus. If the trams ceased through competition they would still have to be paid and sinking fund expenses to the amount of £100,000 per year had to be found out of the rates. Should the trams have to give way to the buses the price of electricity would go up. If the 40 buses on the roads took £100 per day, this meant that £36,500 was being taken from the revenue of the trams, and, of course, a reduction in tram fares, which had been promised next year, would be impossible. The people should realise that it was to their interest to use their own vehicles, the trams, and he hoped they would do so.