THE NORTHCOTE BUS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20499, 18 March 1932, Page 10

THE NORTHCOTE BUS.

CONTINUATION OF SERVICE URGED. MEETING OF RESIDENTS HELD. Nearly a hundred residents of Northcoto met last evening in the Waimairi Council Chambers to hear the case that is to be presented on their behalf in support of the .continuation of a transport service for the district. Mr W. Sandford, who presided, said the meeting was called for the purpose of reporting progress. They were not fighting the battle of Northcote only, but for the whole of the tramway district. They were the first to be attacked. He deplored the absence of the representative of the district on the Tramway Board (Mr A. A. McLachlan). The Rev. Father J. Cullen (St. Bede's College) said when ho first <samo into the dispute ho was rather selfish, but now ho had almost forgotten St. Bede's and was fighting in the interests of the whole district. They were met to examine their own case. He gave credit to Mr W. G. Chapman for the interest he had taken in the case. He had worked literally day and night, and if the case was lost it Would be no fault of Mr Chapman's. Whatever service they had in tjie near future, he was assured it would bp more efficient than that given by the Board at present. "Four Paying lines." " There are in all but four paying lines," said Father Cullen. "One would have thought that when economy measures were contemplated these four would be the last to suffer. All the world has laughed over the man who set to to saw a limb from his tree but forgot to tako note j>£ which side of the cut he was seated. 'His end was disastrous, for he came down with the limb. "Not less comic is the cut by the Tramway Board. Our revenue towards the bus service is only £4OO. Losses amount ion that one: flection come to £IJOO. You know it is a rare bird that does not continue his journey into town. Four hundred pounds to our section moans on a modest ostimate £IOOO to tho three following tram flections. The carrying of our passengers did not mean any increaso in the number of trams or trailers. That service will not be affected by our withdrawal. It will continue as before, but with this difference: that whereas the cost will be the same, the revenue will have fallen by at least a thousand. The Tramway Board lias saved £IOOO by sawing us off from the parent tree, but in losing the £IOOO on the Papanui-City line has imitated the unhappy woodsman and gone down with the cut." A Service Essential. Mr W. G. Chapman said they getting 'near the end of the fight, and they could rest assured they would get something better than the service at present. Tho Commissioner of Transport had told the committee that a service was essential. Ho had had an interview with Mr McLachlan, the representative for the district, and had asked what would happen if the licensing authority refused to allow other buses to tako over tho service. Mr McLachlan replied that tlxQ Board would have to continue. . "Wo are told that the Nortlicoto bus is not paying," said Mr Chapman, "but other buses are losing more.'.The Northcote bus lost £4OO, but on other services the losses were £476, £591, £01.9, and £671 for last year. If the Northcote bus goes off to-morrow, all the other buses will go off next year." . Mr Chapman said he was quite convinced they would not have had a service at all, if they had not put up a fight. Tho Tramway Board had placed before the Central Licensing Authority a renuest that tho now service be not allowed to pick up passengers beyond the Council Chambers, but tho limit should be the City boundary. Id 1927 the Waimairi County was revalued, and the portion in tho Tramway rating area had increased in value by £162,760. Mr L. Grimwood said the district was still under the Tramway rating area, and if tho bus was taken off they would still bo in the area. Ho thought the time had arrived when they should take steps to be excluded from that respoiir sibility. On the motion of Mr G. Cresswell it was decided, in the event of the Licensing Authority not giving the residents a suitable service, under the Tramwhy Board, that a petition be sent to Parliament, asking to be excluded from the Tramway Rating Area.