Trams and Buses.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18241, 27 November 1924, Page 8

Trams and Buses.

We direct the attention of our readers this morning to an article on tramway finance, supplied by a apc'cial contributor, and published on this page, and to an interesting confirmation of the views expressed telegraphed later from Auckland. Our contributor, who has had an opportunity recently of examining many of the tramway systems of the Northern Hemisphere, doubts if convoying pcoplo "by electric trams is "going to be the means of transit of "our population five years from now." There is hardly a big city in the world, he says, that would not scrap tho whole of its electric tramway system to-morrow if it could got anything in return for the capital expenditure, and ho makes tho bold suggestion that Christchurch should nt least begin to consider whether it would not be worth while abolishing its tram-lines as thev woar out, and establishing motor-bus services instead. The message from Auckland shows that a modification of this policy has just been decided on by the Auckland Board, the chief difference being that while our contributor questions the wisdom of "expending one penny "more on new lines or new equip"ment," Auckland is adding to its equipment in. trams as well as supplementing it with motor-bus feeders. We have suggested more than once lately that the whole question of city transport has tsken on a new aspect within the last few years, and although our contributor's conclusions are a little startling, they arc hardly more remarkable than the evidence already available. If it is not proved that buses can drive u.iin? out everywhere, we at least know that their competition is too much fo.- trams wherever the lay-out of the system has been political rather than economic. The question raised by our contributor can no longer be shelved. If the present- Board has had some excuse for hesitating to take action, it must be the first duty of the next Board—the Board that the public arc electing to-day —to consider what is to be done about the competition of buses. The details need not, and in fact cannot, be considered in advance of the gennnlk'Vj but the reconsideration of

•he'policy :s imperative. We have no i.esitation ;n saying that n is inviting disaster to go on assuming that the public will always travei as they travel r.ow, end that the problem of carrying then:, though it may changc in. magnitude, will remain the same in kind. The problem i 3 changing before everybody's eyes, but everybody is not aware of it. The discomforts of a tramway system, its costliness, comparative slowness and absolute rigidity doom it to extinction S3 soon as a rival system is possible; and it is for the new Board to decide whether that other system is not alrcadv ia sight. In other words, it is for the public to elect such a Board as will not fail to realise its heavy responsibility.