WHILE ADULTS STAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 79, 3 April 1928, Page 8

WHILE ADULTS STAND.

CpLDBEN SIT TIGHT. A TRAMWAYS PROBLEM: "Some months ago," "writes "Threepenny Universal,"' in the Wellington "Post," "the Gity\ Council, in order to ■remove a very old complaint that school children monopolise the seating accommodation On trams in the morning and afternoon, brought in a peculiarly ineffective rule thai children should give up their seats to adults when requested to do so by conductors. It did not work because conductors did not ask children to give up, or, if they did, because the youngsters declined, politely or otherwise. More recently another plan was tried; each school child's concession card is stamped in red lettering, to the effect that ~i£- entitlaa tite Holder, to seat provided that no""adult is standing in the same compartment. That does not work either, but it has had the effect of sending the youngsters outside to the open seats, the* line of thought being that tfcere is an unwritten rule that seats should be given up to women, but not to men, and, iuside, the man will get up first. The result is that children paying a fraction of adult fare have things pretty well their own way as far as the outside seats are concerned. If they get there first they certainly stick there, red lettering or" not, and longdistance travellers are still complaining. "Many hundreds of children pre carried each day on the cars, and as the number increases it may be necessary to put on special school cars, if that time has not already arrived. In certain of 'he Australian cities the matter has been tackled more directly, and it is laid down that children occupying seats while adults stand must pay full fare. Until something along those lines is decided upon in Wellington the quite reasonable complaint of full-fare long-distance trailers will continue. Some children from some schools need no prompting written or verbal, but others stick like limpets, even when elderly people board the cars Parents and school teacher* could, if they would: probably exercise a much better influence than red-typed " fcb invariably