CITY TRAMWAYS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 98, 19 January 1921, Page 7

CITY TRAMWAYS

ECONOMY IN WORKING DISCUSSION AT SPECIAL MEETING COMMITTEE TO INQUIRE A special meeting of the City Council, summoned upon the requisition of seven councillors, was held last night to discuss a proposal that a committee of inquiry should be appointed “to take evidence and make recommendations with a view to securing economy in tramway administration.” The Mayor (Mr. J. E. Luke) presided, and there were present Councillors R. A. W right, P. Fraser, J. Hutchison. C. H. Chapman. J. 0. Shorland, M. F. Luckie. L. M'Kcnzie. A. IL Atkinson, W. H. Uennett, AV. J. Gaudin, T. Forsyth, C. B. Norwood, J. Burns, J. * M. Dale, J. AV. Henderson. J. Thompson, and B. G. H. Burn. Councillor Chapman, one of the signatories of the requisition, said that the meeting had been called principally because a special meeting previously summoned by those who were opposed to an increase in tramway fares had lapsed for want of a quorum. He objected to the way in which the latest increase in fares had been made. At this stage the speaker was reminded that there was no morion before the meeting. He accordingly moved the setting up of a committee of inquiry for the purpose indicated in the first paragraph. The tramways had been a profitearning service, he claimed, and now, merely because for a time the profits had not been so high as formerly, fares had been increased. It might be desirable that the old rate of profit should continue to be earned, but in. any case the councillors and the public should have all the information available on the subject. He knew that wages had gone up and that the prices of all plies had increased, but he thought that the increase in fares had been disproportionately high, and. some people fancied that the fault lay with tho management, and he believed a committee of members of the council should be set up to inquire fully into tramway affairs, the investigations of such a committee )™ul<l set the public mind at rest, and if the management of the tramways was beyond criticism tho fact would duly appear. "We are not satisfied that the administration of the tramways department is the most economical possible, said Councillor McKenzie, in seconding Councillor Chapman’s motion. Councillor M'Kenzie considered that the system of handling coal, for instance, had befin uneconomical. To him, certain reports from the tramways department appeared to give conflicting figures concerning tne working expenses of the service, and he believed that the differences might with advantage lie explained. It was a bad policy to Institute fares that tended to keep people from living well out in tho suburbs. If the new scale of fares was proved to be necessary, he. would be the last to take exception to it, but he felt that the council should have more coinplete information than it had had up to the present. It had been suggested ' that too many "dead” cars ivere run through the city. Perhaps it would be better to have cars dispatched from the "economic centre” —Courtenay Place instead of from Lambtpn Station. That was a matter for expert evident. Councillor Shoiilaml said that the dwellers in the suburbs were punished in two wavs—by the burden of high fares and by the time lost through sitting in trams. He did not think that the suburbanites had yet been given fair consideration. He thought that the city section could bo made to pay better by being divided into two penny sections. The institution of penny tn the middle of the city .would, he believed lead to an increase in flic revenue. | The Mayor said it had bpen claim-"’ that in putting back into the tramways money that they had earned the council was not following a proper policy. That policy, however, saved the council ,817.601) a rear, ft had also been alleged that information that should have been available was not available. He would give that charge an emphatic denial. There was more information given in connection with the Wellington tramways th»r in connection with any other undertaking of the kind in the Dominion. Every month a return was supplied. .givpereons outside the council. The tramway service must pav for itself, and when an abnormal rise took place in the cost of working the neople must expect some increase in fares. It was useless to compare tho Wellington tram wavs with the tramways in other centres, where the conditions were vo'-r different. In Dunedin, for instance, tho electric cars ran practically on the one level, and the hill traffic we* 'Kalt with bv cable cars. He would welcome an Inquiry, but it must be an inquiry by persons cutside the ouncil. The tramways question, if it was to be touched, should be investigated from start to finish, nnd the special conditions existing in this city should not be overlook; ed. Tn Wellington, narrow streets made it necessary to run cars which had not the same passenger capacity as cars in some other parts. AA’rilington. moreover, had to meet particularly high capital cost and high maintenance charges. The public would have more confidence in an investigation made by an expert than in one made by a committee of councillors. Councillor Forsyth said that every councillor must admit, that there had been more detailed information placed at tho disposal of the council relative to tramways than any other city undertaking. He went on to state flint the arguments placed before the council at its last meeting in favour of the increases in fares were simply unanswerable. In discussing tramway finance they had to hear in mind the enormous capital cost and the council’s policy that the trams must Ixi run as a business concern. Tho figures recently submitted showed that the council had been evor-generous to a degree in their treatment of the outlying districts. The. 4. 5, and 6-s.ection trippers represented only eight per cent, of the revenue. Clearly they had benefited at the. expense of the congested part of the city. The outlying districts paid only a halfpenny a section. Could any member state that this was an overcharge? As to the statement that there was a lot of dead running, he felt sure that the officers of the council could easily refute this. Personally, he believed that the management was good, and that the system was the beet in the Dominion. The people of AVellington were getting a better service than any other city in the Dominion. The Wellington system was in no worse position than many other, similar undertakings. He moved an amendment proposing that the committee of inquiry should be the Tramways Committee. Councillor Henderson seconded, the amendment, holding that the Tramways Committee was in a better position than the rest, of the council to bring down a report on the matter. Councillor Bennett said it was obvious that tho high cost of production in tramway commodities must be met by increased revenue. If coufloillors saw avenues through which economies could bo effected why had they not come forward with suggestions from time to timer? If they took certain cars off during tho slack hours, what was the department going to do with its employees during this time? They had to lie puid, and they must he kept at work while their wages were running ■ on. Tho only way to make tho income meet the expenditure was to do what •<) council had already done—increase the fares. Councillor Dale supported: the motion because at present very little attention was given by the oouncil to tramway ntanagement. The council had now lots of information relative to the trams, bat

at the time the fares were raised it was not in possession of many necessary details. • The, Aiayor: You had it every month. Councillor Dale persisted in his contention. Councillor Luckie said that the councTi wouuj do well in not passing tho motion He added that for fully two years the monthly reports had been indicative of si steady rise in the proportion of working costs to revenue. The present position was inevitable Everything had gone up in price right "out of sight,” and in this connection he referred. particularly to coal. The fares to-day were less on the average than they were in Auckland, where the conditions were infinitely more favourable to a tramway undertaking.. The Labour representatives on the council objected on principle to the increase in fares, just as they objected to anything that paid—because it savoured of private enterprise. The vdytocates of lower fares were merely talking to th© electro • in tho outlying districts, whose support they wanted Councillor Hutchison said that at the meeting at which fares were last increased" the Tramways Committee had not produced proper evidence in support of the increase. Now two members ot tho Tramways Committee had moved that the investigation of tramways business should be left to their committee. To vote for the amendment would be to condone the failure of the committee to supply full information to the council before it voted on an increase. Such information as had been given was contained in a report furnished by tho general manager after the meeting at which the vote was taken. The Mayor observed that it had been necessary to avoid giving the public notice of tho rise, because if there had been any notice people would have bought up so many concession tickets that they would have partly defeated the endeavour to raise more revenue. A few moments later Mr. Luke, said he" had just been informed (apropos of comparisons between the working costs in different places) that the cost of power for the tramways was .850,000 more per annum in AVellington, where coal had to be used, than in Christchurch, where there was a hydro-electric supply. Councillor Burn said that he would not vote for the motion, as he did not agree with the suggested constitution of the committee of inquiry, which, he urged, should include independent experis.’ Incidentally, he said that there was no portion of the city that had shorter sections than Karori. Referring lo the proposed increase in fares, he said that the trams could hot be run on. nothing. Councillor Gaudin said that the rise in fares was not sprang on any councillor who had kept his eyes open. He urged a continuance of the present policy of "making the trams pay their way. He was quite prepared to support the motion if outsiders were placed on the committee. Councillor Norwood thought it was a compliment to the tramway management that so few points had been made against them in the discussion. Nothing substantial had been adduced in support Of the motion. Councillor Burn supported the motion, nnd stated that there was no equity whatever 'in the recent increases in fares. Councillor Fraser said the alternative suggested by the Labour .Party to increasing the fares was Ihe taxation of community-created values enhanced by the tramway service. Regarding the motion, he stated that most searching inquiry should be made into tho methods of financing the undertaking. To this end the advice of experts should be sought. No reflection at all was intended on the management staff. Councillor Atkinson regretted that various members of the council had not repudiated the suggestion that the staff were in any way to blame for not having furnished the council with full information. He opposed the resolution in its present form. .Councillor Dale said that the whole point of the discussion was that the Tramway Committee did not devote sufficient attention to the undertaking. The amendment was rejected by 13 votes to 5. and the motion was then put and carried by ten votes to eight. On the motion of Councillor Chapman. seconded by Councillor Wright, the committee was constituted as follows: — Councillors M'Keuzie, Fraser, AVright, Burn, Gaudin, Norwood, and the mover. f