TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 22, 21 October 1907, Page 10

TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT.

*:.;, iOBJECTIONS...TO THE NEW BILL, I r v .D'E|yT/TION. Tq''THE,MINISTER. ■ Tjie'ob'jecti6iiS ; -'tliat faro. held, to the Tramways' Amendment; Bill'-culniinated yesterday in. a-jdepiitdtiQii to utlie-UMinister for Public ■W.orks-.,(the:-Hon. J. M'Gowan). The doputa•.tioii: was- representative:,.of ..the four centres.iij- ih 'P^AW^^W?^' -'■ ■: ifr. oPDune'diii) stated" em-phatioally-Lthat-his..Council, were, of opinionthat tho Bill would interfere with- the legitimate functions of the city authorities. It would bo'unnecessary to appoint Government nominees to sit on a tramway board. man best able to manage, and judge of the efficiency ■ of -,tlio .service;. wa% the tramways' in'ariager in JJuncdin, a -.man; , selected for his many, years .of. practical experienco and tech-nical-knowledge. Further, only by supervision", extending in each case over weeks, was 1 it- poEsible/.to ascertain-whether, or,jiot a motorman"was"'; comp'etenfc. Slid-"- trustworthy. A .knowledge of .machinery was not with-.:a .motormari... As/to clause 5, sub-sec-tion C, prescribing that regulations may bo framed dealing with the maximum number of passengers 'to": be carried, he pointed out that tho tramways made their profits on special occasions, ; ,when ;thero' was an excess of "traffic. _. i -,'i \ j ;."■: 'Mr):-Ci--;M. Gray; sM.H-.-8., a'member of the Christchurch Tramways Board, objected to the Bill, as did.also Mr. Kidd, "M.H.8., who spoke on behalf of the Auckland Trnniway Company and the. Auckland City Council Mr. Poole, M.K.It! (Auckland), said that where thoy found a can system operated in ..the intorests of shareholders it was necessary 'tojli'avp careful supervision; V In vicw/of what at; , thdri'gjit an amendment of the Tramways Act necessary. . ...sTJic, JJayor r p|. ..Wellington .contended .that a niotorniaii did hot .«quire«t^:fe ; : ;a'-.mi!Clmiiicar' "export. 1 ■■■■'Air-'tHa't' .was necessary- ;! wore- gb'edl moral and physical qualities, and these could ascertained after weeks of supervision. of rolling stock, tho .P.VP.\ ; .i^onS?i6(E : .-,th(SU.BJJI were quito unnecessary, i:%..?''™M :^SfPXW% n of thc cars wasmado ■at i\Velljngtpn.>.eveiy,,l.jii B ht. lie was - strongly administration: :-llie'offcct':woiildi.be-tliat«iJepple would not put after liav'-'-of authority,, anil would not' *?oi,ip,iJfOjnfaid. k ;;y >3Cli;o;..Jlliplication was' '-that •-thoy---.wei-e--'tii)fit;-tcf'iiji)-rt»ji;j;e things with 'the' same sense of responsibility and intelligence as the admmistratoi'ij.aiK- other departments. JIo asked wlint had---occurred to necessitate lnterforenco with the administration of the authorities. The officers vp'f local bodies wero moi-o experienced in such matters than the •central authorities, to whom-it-was sought to give power. He supported""th'b'May'o'i- df'Dhnedm in regard to crowding in trams. ■Mr.-1 , . M. Fisher, M.H.R., added further arguments to those of the Mayor. 1 ">'' J 'THE. MINISTER'S 'STATEMENT. Tho Hon. J. M'Gowau said something was necessary in the direction' of codifving laws relating to tramways, and that ..was'ono of tho reasons' why the Bill tfas'brbiignt' for.ward.. The.municipalitjvhad their side of,tho Ji-iuestion-:. 'birt , HliPi/.butrfitle.l-.fruvclHng public city council did not do its duty well, it was for 'the State"toy step . in; Keuftrding'-the matter of certiS-..catf-S. for.i;mqtorjrieni' approval of this had tome' ftom the men themselves and from electricnl engineers. Tho latter- regarded it as most- necessary. He declared •ho was not altogcthm- wofldcd to the. Bill, but some of thc provisions it contained would, he thought, do good. Only one or two proposals, ns a matter of fact, were new. He hoped that in Parliament it-would bo turned in.tp;;a; useful meusjiro: . As. to, the..over.crowdiug'o£. cars, if this., were -nQcessary «jx>'-' itiajce ;;them pay, thoy should.-,,n0t...b0 rim afe'nll. j* ...v.J? -J The Minister ■'wns.-.-frequcntly interrupted, nnd had ironly tilts with Mr. Hislop and Mr! Aloxander .(punediiL,,t.ramwaysj., l manaßer). .':V'-:V'' :.''-.'/ ' *'"• '■' "' ■•'■■•"-,?.