ELECTRIC TRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 13

ELECTRIC TRAMS.

AN UP-TO-DATE SERVICE. SUCCESSFUL START. The Napier Borough electric tramways will to-morrow complete their third week of running. The scrvico provided has so far proved immensely popular, and if ,t-he traffic continues in its prosent volume, tho financial success of tho. undertaking is assured. The car route, which is two' miles 65 chains in length, or just 011 three miles if a branch • lino to tho railway station is counted in, has been excellently selected to develop a maximum of traffic. It forms practically two-thirds of a circle. One end is at Port Ahuriri, with tho terminus at ' the Petano Bridge, and from there the line runs up over Shakespeare Road to tho Post Office, along Hastings Street to tho Caledonian Hotel, and then down Dickens Street to the old recreation reserve on which tho tramway offices, car depot, and power-house now stand. A good portion of tho Napier South traffic is-thus tapped, the central and eastern portion .of Scinde Island is. served, and 'bus run between tlio town and tho port is taken over. A Fortnight's Takings. The borough is putting £60,000 into the trams and tho electric lighting plant to bo run conjointly with it. What its return per annum will be it is too early to prophesy, but the figures for tho first two weeks' complete running aro surprising. Tho detailed returns aro under:— First week. Second week. £ s. d. £ s. d. Monday ......... 27 1 5 23 13 0 Tuesday .... 35 3 2 20 17 .9 Wednesday ... 37 0 3 36 1 4 Thursday 32 0 8 24 18 0 Friday 30 1 1 22 3 6 Saturday 55 13 3 41 1 4 Sunday 22, 13 1 17 GlO Total for week 239 13 7 186 11 9 Tho movement for a tramway system began about five years ago, and in April, 1909, the ratepayers adopted a scheme by 825 votes to 150. The poll was subsequently discovered to bo invalid, and tho ratepayers woro a few

money. Filially, the ratepayers, in April of last year, sanctioned tlio raising of another £10,000 by SGS-votes to 381. .. Cost of tho Lines. . The expenditure oil the tramways has been about £60,000,' 'and tho principal contracts let' in connection with the work were as follow £ a; d. Grcenshields . and • Co., permanent way ' and electric lighting ' ton- ' " struction_wor ) lc 31,562 8' '6 Turnbull and Jones, machinery power station 13,499 14; 9 Brush Electrical Co., ' tranicars "4,816 "18 2 " J. Griffin, power station \ buildings .................. 1,496 0' 0 J.'Griffin, tramway offices 1,315, Ov.O Smith and Smith, car sheds 1 1....... ' 755 o'o Electric Construction Co.,- ' ' '. meters QGi '.iS "2 Repair Shop (ercctcd by, day labour) '. 345 i)' 0 These- together total £54,154, and tlio principal. item not included is -the fees of tho consulting engineer, Mr. F. Black. The track is of 3ft. Din. gauge, and is a single lino with loops every 40 chains, with tho ■ exception of- 'a stretch In Hastings Street, in the centre of tho town, there is- a ■ doublo line. Tho running timo from end to end of tile route is 18 minutos, and 45 minutes is allowed for'tho louiid trip, including the stop at the terminus. Tho route is not one that leiids itself to. a fast service, as the traffic in tho town is heavy, and when that .is left behind there is ; the climb up Shakespeare Road to a height of IGO feet, which is negotiated on'a grado of lin 11. Tho main road to the port on the other side of the hill is sinuous, and traffic is constantly coming out across the, lines from side streets. k Moro Cars '/ranted. There are at present five cars on ths lino, but they are already proving insufficient to cope with tho traffic. The cars are all of the combination type, with open seats at either end, and a closed compartment in tho centre. They are mounted on four .wheels on a single truck, and aro operated by two motors, which can bo run in series or independently. As a rule four cars aro used to- maintain the service,' and tlio fifth kept in reserve or held for special work such qs meeting a train at the railway station. Tho traffic manager, Mr. Cai-wng . jaglian, states that with four cars aT ■ twelve-minute servico can bo maintained, but a ten-minute service is not possible. Mr. Callaghan has already vccommeuded tho purchase of two extra bogie cars of a larger capacity than those at present in use. ! The power for tlio plant and the electric lighting, is provided by tlirco tandem pattern gas-engines, two of which aiq in daily use to operate the plant, while the third is held in reserve as a stand-by in case of accident. Olio engine is sufficient to drivo tho trams, while tlio other will supply tlio ligluing_ and power as soon as the electric mains have been laid over the town. Tho gas for tho engines is supplied from a large gas-producer plant, Tlje outdoor staff for tlio tramwa.VE cohsists of seven niotormen and oigiit conductors, while a ear-slied. .staff 'of three is maintained, and acts wheji necessary as a repair gang. The servico be.gins at 6.40 a.m., and is continued until 11 p.m., and ears aro run botli iii the morning and afternoon oil Sundays. Mr. Callaghan, the traffic and business manager, has had considerable experience in tlio running of tramways, 1 having entered the liorso car service in Wellington in 1899 as accountant and chief traffic clerk. When tho service was .converted' into electric trac- ' tion he was given entire control of the revenue branch, a position held by him for the past nine ■ years. Tho power plant is under tliq "supervision of Mr. T P; Hewitt," who has "had years' experience, as an engineer and fitter, having been employed in London (six ■years), Southampton, Cowes, Wellington (seven years). Gisborno, .Hastings, and in Napier during the last six months. Future Extensions. The formal opening of the servico ' took' place at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 8, when the Mayor, Mr. J. Vigor Brown, delivered a brief speech 1 and tjlio cars were immediately opened to tlio' public. _ If tlio- present highly-satisfactory revenuo returns are maintained, thero seems little'doubt that an agitation will begiiii for the extension of tlio service to' other parts of the town; particularly for the laying of a lino ' to Napier South, along Hastings Street. Napier is the fifth town in tho North Island to possess an electric tramway system, and the eighth in the Dominion; Quite a boom in electric trams is talcing place at the present time in tho different provincial centres. Wanciimti was tho pioneer, Invercargill followed next, Cisborne shortly afterwards began work on its Edison storage battery system,. and now Napier has' its car's running.' New I'lvmouth has a scheme about to materialise, and Palm-' e.rston North has been talking trams for some timo past, but without anything definite having so far resulted.