SUBURBAN TRANSPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 259, 1 November 1932, Page 6

SUBURBAN TRANSPORT.

The suburbs of the city of Auckland are suffering severely by the high cost of transport to and from the city. Wages have gone down as much as 50 per cent. Businesses are staggering on their last legs, many of them showing an annual loss, but tram fares have gone up instead of down. The amount taken by tram fares out of the wages of a youth or girl living in the third or ftourth section often amounts to a quarter of their wages. Why are the members of the Transport Board so stubborn and conservative? Even the Government after trying increased fares were forced to try cheaper fares, and I believe the results have been more than gratifying. The same with postage. It will not be long before we will have to elect a Transport Board. Let us elect men who are bold enough to try fares more in keeping with the reduced earnings; of the people. It is too late to wail over the f mistake of spending so much on an obsolete • system of transport. We will have to make the best of it. The interest on the huge amount of capital involved is the whole trouble, but I believe an all-round Id section with & maximum of 4d would greatly stimulate traffic; in any case, all sections outside the second section should be cut in half. Those who live halfi way along these sections simply walk to the end of the section rather than pay 2d for a ride of a few hundred yards. suburbanite.