TRAMWAY REORGANISATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1480, 1 July 1912, Page 5

TRAMWAY REORGANISATION.

THE TIME-TABLE. City Councillors generally are reticent on. tlio subject of tho scheme for the .reorganisation, of the City Tramways, as outlined in the Tramway Board's comprehensive report, published last week. They state that they prefer to reserve their opinions until tho special meeting of tho City Council, which is to bo convened to consider tho proposals. Speaking as ono who was instrumental in advocating as a first slep in the direction of more thorough supervision and control of tlio tramway system by the creation of a Tramway Board of Control, Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald said that although ho might not approve of certain details of tho new proposals, ho believed that the board had already justified its existence from the very fact that the overhauling of tlio system and tho pointing out of definite weakness , * had thus early in its existence engaged its attention and called for a report. The council had done wrong in extending tho ago limit for certain concession tickets—a privilege which had been grossly abused. Then again, the lack of uniformity in tlio length of the sections was a blot on tho system. "Tho public, has invested over one-half a million, in its tramway, business," said Mr. Fitzgerald. "Would any private business firm be content .with making, from such an investment, a profit—a doubtful profit—of ,£6OOO a year? I think ' As an example of how municipal tramway enterprise could really pay when managed on sound business lines, Mr. Fitzgerald quoted from the balance-sheet of the Belfast city tramways (Ireland). The nnnual report disclosed a net revenue of XG1),!)97, on increase, of .CC9IG <m that returned for tho previous year. After meeting certain statutory charge?, it was decided to earmark .£3443 for the. relief of tho rates, making its total contribution to the rates over .€35,000, and fo distribute .£2300 in bonuses amongst (he With regard to the new time-table, forecasted by the' Tramway Board, it is understood' that one of the. problems it is hoped to solve is an adjustment of the schedule that, will abolish the frequent aggregation of cars at one point at stated intervals, followed by long; paps, and exasperating waits. Certain districts have asked for a prescribed number of,ears per hour—V minute, S minute. 10 nunuto services, for exainpln—and in tlio borough lines fed by the city system there have also been local specifications to be met with retard to ihe number of cars to lift run. By compromising here, and conceding tliere, the council has gradually so complicated the car schedule that at certain intervals tliere is an aggregation ol cars at stated hour, particularly, for there is a mathematical certainty that when (ho seven-minute, ciglitmiiuile, and ton-miuuto intervals coincide in a period whicli constitutes a common multiple they will nil arrive at stated points together. To avoid this, the intervals will require to be altered.