OUR BUSY TRAMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1927, Page 12

OUR BUSY TRAMS.

63 MILLION PASSENGERS. A GLANCE AT THE WORKSHOPS MEN'S WELFARE STUDIED. Sixty-four miles of track, laid over an area of approximately ten square miles, carrying 63,151,126 passengers dufing last year—a brief epitome of the Auckland tramway system. The "man in the street" has bnt little idea of the labour and organisation necessary .to bring his tram car to the stopping place at which he steps on board. An official visit to-day to the main office in Customs Street, the depots in Gaunt Street and at Epsom, and the Mount Roskill workshops gave one a clear insight into the workings of what may possibly be called "the tramway •machine."

So efficiently docs the machine work that every tramcar is timed, and the deviation from schedule time is infinitesimal. Considering that 2044 trips are made up or down Queen Street each day, and that 5,962,199 miles are run each year by the trams, it was interesting to learn that a tram is very seldom late in arriving at its appointed destination. Three minutes is the latitude permitted for late arrivals (this to cover contingencies such as hold-ups in traffic and accidents), but there is no latitude at the beginning of the journey. In other words, running early is not allowed.

Over 1300 Employees. The Tramways Department employs 1359 men, of whom 722 are either conductors, motormen or bus drivers. The permanent way department employs 250 men, and in the car repairs workshop at Monnt Roskill 295 are constantly engaged.

Under the guidance of Mr. A. E. Ford, manager of the Tramways Department, a party of pressmen saw the inner workings of the system to-day. The efficiency of the technical staffs was obvious, and the details of the work done were very informative, but what struck the lay mind as being of more than ordinary interest was a well-worn motor lorry in the courtyard of the Gaunt Street Depot. This car is available day and night for emergency work. It carries 6uch vital necessaries as jacks, levers, and essential tools, and whenever an accident occurs, whatever the hour may be, the "breakdown gang" is quickly on the spot.

Canteen and Recreation. An interesting development -of civic activity has been the establishment of the canteen and recreation room at Gaunt Street. A similar institution is being run at the Epsom Depot. Both are practically self-supporting. The initial cost was borne by the Tramways Department, but the revenue from the billiard tables and the modest percentage of profit made by the refreshment bar have put the recreative side on a sound financial basis.

".[oreover. the establishment of eantcens, recreation rooms, lawn tennis courts and other facilities for healthy activity both indoors and outdoors, has made a big difference in what might be called the "atmosphere" of the department. Men always work better when they realise that they are not merely cogs in a great machine, but that their mental and physical welfare is studied bv those who employ them.

More Silver Than Copper. The traffic receipts for the last financial year were £620,772, an increase of £42,280 over the 1925-2(5 total figures, which tend to show that petrol is hardly likely to drive electricity off the road. It was interesting to learn that the bulk of the money brought in by each conductor at the end of the day's work is in silver coins. Tramway employees are trustworthy, otherwise they would not be employed, and a conductor is allowed to give small change in exchange for notes to reputable tradesmen. When the conductor brings in his day's takings, a verv efficient financial machine is set in motion. Accommodation is provided for each conductor to count his money, and after leaving his little desk the man puts his money in a bag, indicates his number, and places the bag in a machine which receives and automatically registers the amount.

There is an old saying, "you can never lose anything irr a tramcar." and a glance at the" statistics of the lost property office shows that every kind of miscellaneous article, from umbrellas to stuffed swordfish, has a habit of returning to its owner. An average of £60 is found in Auckland's tramcars every year, and it is hardly necessary to add that the money is duly returned bv the agency of the department.