THE TRAMWAY BOARD ELECTION

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21939, 13 November 1936, Page 17

THE TRAMWAY BOARD ELECTION

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir,— Keeping up a correspondence with anonymous scribes is like swatting flies; when you exterminate one of the nuisances a few extra come for the funeral. However, let them all come. . .. “Concession Card User” refers to some idea that has got into his small mind that (loyal) men, as he terms them, were victimised. Let me tell this nosey bird that there are several of his loyalists who are driving Diesel buses. I should like to tell “Concession Card User” an incident that I have evidence to substantiate, that occurred during the tramway strike, just to enlighten him on the class of person he is championing. A person came into one of the offices in the Trades Hall in the early days of the tramway strike and asked the typist if she would oblige him by typing out a few copies of what Jack London had to say about persons who turned traitor to their mates when a strike was on. He intimated in true cockney language what he thought of such persons and what he was going to do to them. While engaged in this wordy denunciation of such individuals, this bird himself must have had an application In for a volunteer’s position, as the next morning he was on the job driving a tram himself. . . x . Is there any person in Christchurch, Labour, Tory, or Independent, who could champion a person who has acted thus. —Yours, etc., E. PARLANE. November 12, 1936. TO THE EDITOB OF THE PRESS. Sir,—l do not appreciate replying to anonymous writers because in public discussion each writer should have the manliness or sense of citizenship to Sd by the criticism which he offers, particularly as he accepts the right to use the name of his opponent. As your two correspondents in Wednesday s issue show such lack of appreciation of facts and then detail special cases. I think it wise on this occasion to rePl No 1 states that I delude myself in stating that the reduction of costs, namely the reduction of taxes for trol-ley-buse* and the reduction °fthe manager’s salary, was due to the board Well, what the change-over in the management and the salary paid to the manager has to do with Government legislation is beyond roe and beyond any intelligent citizen. gl change must be due to the board s islon and its policy. The reduction axation was due to the case we preted to the Government, who saw

the wisdom of our contentions. Surely every right-thinking person would agree that the board was responsible for the reduction. Had it not presented its case, or put it in such way as to be unanswerable, there would have been no reduction of the.£6oo in taxation. . ~ . The Labour candidates at the last election did state, “A policy for the better utilisation of the tramway service for the people.” Most of the criticism levelled at us at the present time is that we did not apply our policy in “the reduction of fares and better services.” If such criticism is made, how can one say that we did not present a policy? We had a policy for the benefit of the ratepayers and the tram-users. The result of that policy is now being placed before the electors and was contained in my replies to the Editor. There is no space to recount the results here. The case of avenging the strike was answered by the electors at the last election, who gave us a mandate to right the wrong. As far as we were able to do it, the strikers have been re-employed. Thus we ke£>t faith with the citizens who elected us. Surely that is the highest principle to follow in political life, and the principle upon which the success of democracy depends. Yes, I do think we have a satisfied staff and a staff which is doing its best to co-operate with the board. There may be one or two men out of harmony both with the board and with their fellow workers, but your correspondent knows best why that is so. The board has nevef called strikers on the mat for being friendly with loyal men. The personal relationships of the staff are their own concern. “The strike should have been forgotten long ago,” says the correspondent. That is his wish, I wonder why? Strikes are not forgotten in the Labour movement. The bitter experiences of the strikers and their betrayal live long in the memory. Correspondent No. 2 asks why, with the savings secured by the present board, does it keep on increasing the rate. The rate was reduced from £lB 000 to £12,000 after one complete year of this board’s administration. After that year the wages of the staff were increased to the 1931 level and the hours of work reduced to 40 a weke. That policy increased costs by £23,000 in two years. For the present year up to September, although these Increased costs were incurred the finances of the board were better than last year by £648. Surely that is progress. In reference to volunteer workers being re-engaged, I wish to say that the policy of the present board was to employ the strikers and the citizens at the last election gave us the mandate to do so. The management, since the strikers have been absorbed, decides who shall be employed, and not the board. This decision is based on an applicant’s capacity for the job. That way leads to efficiency and the best service to the ratepayers.—Yours, etc GEO. MANNING. November 12, 1936. TO THE CDITOI Or TUB PBEB9. Sir, —Mr Parlane’s verses arrest me this morning. They are the only portion of this lengthy discussion, which must be nearing a record for length, which redeems it from being deadly dull reading. Surely my co-writers must know that long letters are passed “as read,” and not read by the average reader, whether signed or not. I want Mr Parlane to think again, and he will agree with me that this page would not be the page it is without the anonymous writer. Not I would not “tell him off,” as St. Peter told the Scotsman when demanding admittance into Heaven—“ Give him back his tuppence and let him go to hell.” (I don’t think it was a Scotsman.) If I had Mr Parlane’s gift, do you think I would sign the verses I might write describing the life I am leading now? No! Not on your life.—Yours, etc., PETER TROLOVE. November 12, 1936. TO THE EDITOB OT THE FBE3B. Sir, —I think “Remembrance” deserves the thanks of the. community. He has shown up the failings and weaknesses of the Trades Hall junta. This party gave it out that if it was put in control of the trams there would be no taxes on the people through the rates. There have been taxes to the amount of about £79,000 during the short time the party has had control. Most of the ratepayers are working people. Those who are not are, in most cases, able to pass the tramway rate on, and so the workers have to pay not only their own tax, but also the shopowners’ taxes by means of increased prices. The Trades Hall party signed a manifesto that if it was returned, no man would lose his legal rights, yet it immediately set about robbing workers, not only of their legal rights, but also of their moral rights. To do this, it tried to use what was intended by the people to be a court of justice as a court of revenge. It was a disgraceful affair. It is deplorable to think that a party that used to prate about the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and extol the virtues of the golden rule, should be the first to use or attempt to use its power to prevent justice and to give expression to feelings of malice .’towards those -whom it was in honour bound to protect. I cannot see any advantage in Mr G. Manning’s statements. There was no need to buy out the Inter-City - buses; they were giving quite a good service, and there was no throat-cut-ting competition, as stated by Mr Manning. Their fares were fixed by the Licensing Board. The paying off of £BO,OOO, bearing 4J per cent, in Britain, by using about £IOO,OOO in new currency at 3J per cent., was not very clever. There was a slight saving in interest, but it meant driving £BO,OOO of British capital out of New Zealand. Smart business men could have done better.

There is no advantage in having the trams run from Papanui to the Hills all the time. It would be an advantage if the routes were varied. At present, if one wishes to go from Sydenham to St. Albans, or from St. Albans to Sydenham, one has to take a tram to town' and then wait from 10 minutes to a quarter of an hour for a tram to finish one’s journey. That is Muddledom.

Mr Manning took credit for the new buses. I do not think there is much in them to boast about. They are what Mr Archer calls death traps. In London they are replacing trams with trolley-buses. Trolley-buses are electrically driven, and in England most of the electricity is produced from coal. In Christchurch there is electricity going to waste. More is being produced at Waitakl than there is a demand for. As a motive force, electricity is much more efficient than internal combustion engines. The life of an electric motor is much longer than the life of internal combustion engines. Electricity is much cheaper to use, and • much of the overhead wiring is already fixed up. Why in the name of common sense import even crude oil when we have electricity going begging. More Muddledom. Christchurch has been sold another pup.—Yours, etc., RADICAL. November 12, 1936. TO THE EDITOE OF THE PRESS. Sir,—So my modest contribution to the correspondence on tramway matters has ruffled the feathers and raised the crest of Mr E. Parlane. He has even been driven to become a poet, with a gem of refined sentiment. When we reach that extra hot spot to which he has consigned us, we Will be nice and comfortable on a cola, frosty night, while he will be outside shivering in his little short shirt. I did hot pick a piece out of the accountant’s report to suit my . own ends, but supplied for the public the piece that Labour candidates apparently wanted to forget.. Can Mr Parlane answer these points? Did the Labour candidates at the election m 1933 lead the people to understand

that if elected a rate would be avoided? Were the accounts of the Tramway Board from its inception to March 31, 1933, available to those candidates at the time of the election. Why was it necessary to appoint two outside accountants at a high fee when the board’s own accountant was capable of furnishing any required information? He had been in the board’s service for very many years, and is now general manager and secretary. Why did the business men of the Labour board fail to levy the rate for the full amount. recommended by the accountant? And what accounts have suffered in consequence. By what amount has the Labour board increased the loan indebtedness by raising fresh loans since its election in 1933? Finally, Mr Parlane should remember that there are more than two accountants in Christchurch.' —Yours, etc., XYZ November 12, 1936.