TRAMWAY BOARD.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16205, 7 May 1918, Page 2

TRAMWAY BOARD.

ORDINARY MEETING. 1 jic Tramway Board mot yesterday. Present—Messrs C. 31. Gray (chairman), H. Pearee, A. 8. Taylor, D. Sykes, S. A. Staples, T. H. Davey, J. A. 1' lcslior. Geo. T. Booth, and Hon. John Barr, M.L.C. Ihc Works and Traffic Committee repoutid that it had decided to ascertain from the staff, in the event of the .board establishing a Superannuation * und, under the National Provident l' unci Act, how many of them would be Killing to join. The committee had lcsolvcd to ask the l'/iiiciency Board to consider, .the position of the essential poivor plants in view ol the requirements of the military position, so that the minimum number of qualified engineers required might be arrived at. Consideration had been given to altering tho ,gtop of "in" l'apanui cars from the south side of liealey avenue to the nortli, it having been stated that the Pi cvsent arrangement is dangerous to vehicular traffic on Bcalcy avenue crossing from east to west. A decision on tne matter had been postponed till next meeting of the committee. -} he report was adopted. Correspondence was read between the A civ Zealand representatives of the contractors for spccial track work tyres and points and crossings, the Board! and the Government on the subject of 17 rre! e s'VPnjent of the matei al. Ihc Board's letter referred to ! tJie urgency for the shipment of the spccial track work for the lines at the north and south ends of Cathedral square. The Hon. G. W. Russell had been written to and asked to assist, and lie telegraphed that he had forwarded the Board's request to the Hon. A. Myers, Minister of Supplies, who wrote -that the matter was receiving consideration, and that further infoi" mation would be forwarded in a few •Vu' /-< ,etters v 'cro received. . Jhc General Manager referred to the ipeomcnienco suffered by passengers bv regular time-table Bur'wood cars on Saturday, due to delays arising out of the trotting meeting uo Aew Brighton. He lead a memorandum from the Traf> tin l( t a ,M ger ' wh ? r «-'P° r ,tcd that three time-table cars from tho Square to B unroot! had been delayed from 20 to fr ' m *u Ut( i ii owms to the return traffic tl£; h trottin S mating. He stated that there would be always difficulties on a serpentine lin e like that to Burwood, in which there were eight loops between the Lmwood post office and Burwood—none ol which was in of the ■other. H c suggested the installation of a new loop opposite the racecourse. but admitted that this would nave to be an after-thc-war work. He also suggested an inter-connected telephone system for use on race days, and cn other days when there was unusually heavy traffic.

matter was referred to the works and Traffic Committee to consider and report. Mr Staples referred to reports that tho early trams to Feudal ton went out and returned without passengers, and lie suggested that the matter should be looked into. Jlefcrring to a specific complaint of overcrowding on the Iticearton lme, he stated that this had arisen owing to a tram (with trailer attached) having had to go into the shed consequent on a box having become not; ito trip had been taken up by a single car. Inferring to the state of the track on the lticcarton and oth°r lines, Mr Staples said that the fact that in some places the outlines of the sleepers were showing up, was due to ine use of the heavy water sprinklers, and he suggested that thev should be scrapped and replaced by lighter onee. JSo action was taken in respect of these matters.