TRAMWAY BOARD.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20090, 20 November 1930, Page 16

TRAMWAY BOARD.

CANDIDATES' ADDRESSES. At last night's meeting of the Papanui Progress League, addresses were given bv the two candidates for the Ricoarton sub-district at the forthcoming Tramway Board elections. Mr J. Wood, the present member for the district, said that for a number of years the tramway receipts had been falling. This was not peculiar to Christchurch, for the same state of affairs existed in every city in .Nevr Zealand. Glasgow, which had' the model tramway system of the world, bad lost £OO.COO last year. With good roads in all parts of the City, the Tramway Board had now to meet more competition from motors and cycles. In spite of the reduction on the Sumner lino from 5d to 4d. there had been a decrease of 8500 passengers this year compared with the corresponding period last year. Mr Wood said he was opposed to a rate to meet the deficiency. Furthermore it would not be fair to make people, who did not use the trams, pav for them. By careful handling there was no question but that the j trams in Christchurch could be made ■ to pay. I Asked in regard to any proposals he had in view to make the service a paying one, Mr Wood said that the concession fares on some of the lines wero too low. For instance, Sumner, j where the fares had been reduced, was showing further losses. The new board would liavo to face the question, lie would also reduce the number of trips at slack periods during the day. This would result in a saving of over .CIO.OOO a year. Mr Wood also answered a number of other questions regarding local matters. After Mr Wood had retired, Mr A. A. McLachlan addressed the meeting. He said the Tramway Board had been subjected to a good deal of criticism, but the popular view did not always turn out to be the best. The Papanui line had always been a paving one, and the profits from it i had gone a long wa\ in meeting the deficiency on the unprofitable ones. Papanui should not require to ask for any reasonable concession. His policy would 1m? to simply watch carefullv the progress made in other parts in the matter of transport, especially regarding trolley buses: the advances in traction by electricity: and the discontinuance of non-paying lines, when they required to be renewed. He was an advocate of onivman trams, ij} sparsely populated districts, such as Fendalton and the outlving parts of Ricoarton. Mr McLachlnn sairl t l a! £SOO a year had been lost on the ;St. Martins line prior to the introduction of the one-man trams. There had been a deficiency of only £2O last year. There was no need at any time for a rate. The trams should be self-sup-porting. Tn replv to a question, Mr McLachlan favoured an early morning tram on Sundays during the summer months.' The Riecurton Citizens' Association has invited Messrs John Wood and A. A. McLachlan, candidates for the seat on the Tramway Board for the Ricear-ton-Sockburn sub-district, to give their views on tramway matters at a meetmg of the Association, to be held on Tuesdav.