STUDENTS ON TRAMCARS.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2685, 3 February 1916, Page 7

STUDENTS ON TRAMCARS.

' Sir—For many months past tha residents of the beautiful suburbs of Wellington (of mature age, and all accompanying infirmities) have perforce I? ? *' 16 sei 'vico,as provided by tho Tramway Board, and get into town, as best one can, and at night return home in "anything available." This is all/right so far as tho tramway returns «re concerned, but does not conduce to tho comfort of the poor unfortunate man who has, by foroo of circumstance, to travel per car to reach town and toil.

,' v; 4s.o resident of "tho greater'be-, yorid' of Wellington, I do object to tho manner in which school students (of both sexes) rush the cars at the terminus. If tho car happens to be of the class known as the "dog box," the youths travelling to school (both collogo and public), invariably : make tor the end confined to "smokers," Should tlie car be a combination car the centre compartment (where smoking only is allowed) is filled forthwith by tho same lot of school boys, and, what is infinitely worse, by girl students: The result is that "kids fill the smoking compartment" and the old buster who is dying to have a smoke is generally found, hanging on by his eye-' brows, to a strap in the non-smoker. Appeal to the guard is useless! It has been made time without number, but he is powerless to interfere. Evidently-the governing body do not allow guards to exercise any power of discretion. The fact, however, remains, that no matter what car you travel by botween the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., from distances,'to town, you will see the smoker more than half-filled with children under-aged, whilst the adult (tho old man with whiskers all 1 over his face going to do his little bit for "the inissus an' kiddies") is to be seen —filling his pipe with one hand, grabbing his lunch with tho other, and between such times as lie is not ducking and diving with the conductor, the ' get ins," or "get outs," he finds that ho has arrived at liis daily toil,\fith "nary a smoke." However, to the point I

Why are school children allowed to occupy the only compartment reserved for smokers, when ample accommodation is available elsewhere? It is futile to say they are there by necessity! In the majority of eases these children board the, car at the terminus, when more than amplo room is available, but ones seated, they liken unto the Devon, and cannot be shifted. Tho inconceivable part of my protest lays in the fact that in numbers of glaring in-* stances tho parents of the students, boarding the car at the same time, enter tho non-smoker, whilst their children go the other way. The moral to this must be—"Get away- froni father."- Anyway, it is time the governing body imvstod some power 'in the conductors of cars, so that he might relegate "nippers ll to the safety of the inner compartment whenever necessary. I make no mention of the "educational" view of tile question,-but feel sure that the school principals would much prefer to see their students travelling "first class," instead of '''rushing; tho buck" in a common smoker. School Commissioners please note!—l am, etc., WMESTCj.