MIRAMAR TRAMWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 641, 19 October 1909, Page 5

MIRAMAR TRAMWAYS.

. reply; of the Mayor of Miramar to my,.criticism' r,e,-tramway, finances, only, -confirms'my.'fisfurts: -He'6'tates'that'the'-loss for the : year.will be,....;;..... .; ;....-; Add'-cost of lighting, track; which, is /'./ : wrongly debited to general account ,'. 300 Depreciation .........: ..........'.:............ JIOOO . :5 : T0tai: : ;;'^.,;;.,....;:.....M^..;^. iv ..:;....... .^025 .. My irithout providing forjeo^tingencies:''';:.''; -'; , ,' i : , T - '; •'. .','.■ .; ■'As to,the necessity of providing for depreciation the Mayor will find very . few to . agTee •nith. him. it his -view' that.becauso the borough .received a gift ..of 315,000 ,it is not' necessary' to provide; for depreciation. Further, we; shall,' by j the , time the'.'tr'ams' have • been 'running three years,'-have" lost practically .the whole of., this subsidy.; It: will, not:take long 'at; per year.'to"lose'. £15,000. ..' -■ , . . ; ' ; ". ' The/.Mayor says maintenance -last year.iw'as only. £3: [ Does ')ie wish the public tp .believo' ;that <triis- sum Irepresents also thq many.-extra expenses. which'itte,- borough : was - put to' beoause of;' the:".tr'ams,. and • .'which; have, beencharged'/ to. : general \account?; This year, the couiicil- , : : iB-. i e«cting , expensive , ': convenience's for:passengers'; ati Miramar;.tracks haveibeen mado and'.- fences;. erected; ;and hero and there sp'eritiwhich' should be charged, to .tramway■: account;'."-.'' In - v the-."• endeavour, to bolster;.up.'.the. tramway, finances. nothing will beicharged to trams ,h,oweyer; "Will-'the Mayor eayrwhat -it isrgoingr : cost Within- a , year or , , two to repair -the tripk aloneP • .- ... . . . The; .Mayor-states that arrangements-have been- made-whereby-the , council receives !£3OOO .fo'r.'.lattd to l be sot- against tramway losses.'; ''.This :does' not. get "'over', the?- , tot • that the losses j ; have;.beei'.madejbut'it :i is' interesting,. Wry, to transaction.-Mr. H; D. Crawfor.d :gaVe-.the:counoil;fouro;cre3; a gift; towards' 'tramway.-construction'! It was an • ■old rdghtsoil depot; and the council could not sell the land, eo.',they bought , it from' them.selves J' as' 'a • ■ sanitary, depot—which . they/ did. not: require—and- issued, debentures for '23000.against::the.:land and, ; the general security of the-borough! Tdo riot think-the council-have found. buyers; for all the" debentures, but' any' ■ moneys .-coming: in will go against tramway losses,, not against costbf construction. 'Prac-: !.'tically L - what ;has .been; done';'is that we'have , borrowed -.'43000:-to pay, tramway losses With," and', will -'pay interest on this-sum for ; years. The /of vcour.se, will nothe charged . to; tramway ■ account., The whole : transaction^ ■is a , .beautiful pieiie of finance! ■ • . ■ '-.-: ■The.Mayor., states, that -whether the present policy/is, to : . be'continued or, riot was fof the council, to -decide. -In' the next breath 'ho: says'; that until 'someone, proposed■' a. better' policy there could l be. rip .change—no 'one had-pro-.posed.any different policy to the , present.one. •iie-isi here condemning himsolf and bis coun-cil.-It he^and.. his- council are going to sit aown aud.allow the present losses to continue, they, are'-noglecting their trust'as representativesfof.the. borough,,and are not'.fit to'hold To ,be .paying the Wellington. City .Councir.equal :to-2}d. per- passenget;',and to ; charge;, the; passenger' Id:,-is' this business? is thisrmatter one;incapable of-adjustment? To pe.. : -running. ; trams practically" empty from 9 : a.m.,t0.5 ,p.m,.is a.farce^-itiis;not business.at' all. „ soyeral; ways ,in -which. , the losses, can be; •largely.reduced'if-the Mayorshowed some; de*ro'.V . ". Where there- is a' will ■there-is. ft,way,!'.-but; the .Mayor himself-'is, I itbe.cTiief; obstacles, to, tramway rpfprim-,.He:apparently ■.■gives: no- assistance to any,;,offorfs•to_find' a.way.;ont;6f difficulties,.: He. : talks, of, the future W. the houses.'.that; rumour, saith: ,are .'going 'to'-be ff=ted .in.Miramar. One gets sick .of trusting The 'tramway; cannot pay un. less -thoroushly reorganised, ■ until th'e'.route Is' ■as '..tlnckly'populated-as , .Lambton Quay,''and ■the 'Mayor-knows, iti.arid "every year-.the borough is/ throwing. £5000". into the seaf be-, cause .the Mayor wiurU frequent services wKich' ;are not required.(witness the people carried, or i rather;not carried) and cheap fares which/ are under : .cost..;;lf. the i£sooo were put S? 'I'mJ 1 ' borongh\.there migM be .some ; hope, tut the'senseless loss, of the monev can only impoverish the. districtand I- ■ .■• -,- ■: ;^Sift"'-w^;^i^::;';i