SUNDAY TRAM FARES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3147, 27 July 1917, Page 6

SUNDAY TRAM FARES

TWOPENCE JN SEPTEMBER. At the meeting of the City Council', last evening the following report on Sunday tram fares was furnished by the' Tramways Manager (Mr. W. H. Morton):: "Since" the 3d. minimum fare on Sundays was introduced six weeks ago, the< weather on tho Jast four Snndays has. beon decidedly unfavourable to traffic, but jn spito of this the revenue has been, well maintained, and compares favourably, with the corresponding period of last year, when the full service was in; operation. The wsults which have been obtained 'show that the adoption of the. minimum fare system has brought about: the desired result by reducing the number of cars in traffic End thereby releasing a considerable number of men from Sunday work. The observations of theloading which have been taken during the period the new system has been in operation ha.ve supplied the department with useful information which indicates that if the minimum fare was reduced to 2d. tho handling Of the additional passengers coukl be dealt with by a few extra cars on the longer lines, and without the necessity of any increase m tlift shorter routes. In view of this, I w>;; to recommend that the minimum fare b» reduced to 2d., when the summer timetable is brought into operation at thebeginning of September." Following nnon that report the Tramways Committee recommended that tue> engineers proposal be given eflect to. In the course of a discussion, Councillor She-island said that it seemed to himthat the fare was increased to 3d. to Discourage traffic, and now they were reducing the fares to 2d. to increase the traffic. ~. Councillor Barber said that they were either wrong in eftablislmur the higher fare Or wrone in now reducing; it. Councillor Norwood took it at with the experience of the working of thetrains with a reduced staff, the manager hwf found that th? cars were running-half-full and found that they might be table to fill them by reducing the fare iVou'ncillor R. A. Wright said the diflicultv that cropped up was so glaring and: linjust to people living in certain districts that something had to l>e done. He thought that it was a very fair compromise. Councillor Bennett regretted that his. suggestion of a transfer system had not been adopted. . It 'vn< a"in7,in!', said Councillor Fitzgerald, to hear the speeches of councillors, and to note that tlie opposition to the recommendation came from those councillors who had objected to tho raising of the fare to 3d. Now that it was proposed to reduce it to 2d.. they opposed it. What did they want? It vas a rational proposal made by the manager after an experiment lasting over six. wo; , !". The motion was carried.