TRAMS IN PERIL

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 291, 4 September 1931, Page 8

TRAMS IN PERIL

New Transport Bill RIGHTS AT STAKE City Solicitor’s Analysis “The general municipal point of view regarding the new Transport Act Is nretty clearly set out In a precis of the minutes prepared by the Municipal Association and submitted to the Minister," said Mr. John O’Shea, legal adviser to the association, when asked by ‘‘The Dominion’* as to that particular angle of the transport measure now before the House. "Shortly put,” he said, “the association wishes to preserve the existing rights given to the thirteen local authorities •under the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act of 1926. The association does not desire to prevent the Government taking action in respect to the control of service cars and goods services; indeed, the emergency committee of the association thought that such action should be taken. In Borne rural districts the service car activities and the goods services run by motortrucks and lorries are overcrowding the roads, and. in the case of the heavy lorries, are being run at such high rates of speed that they are a menace to the stability of the roads over which they travel. Control of such traffic is well within the province of the Government." Municipalities’ Claim. Such services, and those sanctioned under the Act of 1926. cannot be coordinated, said Mr. O’Shea. The municipalities only claimed to be permitted to control such bus services as charged a fare up to 2/-, which were really city and suburban services. They had the necessary stitffs to control them and other traffic, and the exigencies of modern traffic were such that such staffs could not be diminished without impaired efficiency in control. If the Government confined itself to rural services, it might be; doing good work for the roads, the public, and the Railway Department. Tram Monopoly.

"When our tramways were laid down,” continued Mr. O’Shea, “the local authorities controlling them were given a statutory monopoly over the routes traversed by the tramway tracks, in order, specifically, that there should be no competition. Such was the high cost ol putting In systems of electric tramways that it was held that they should not be harassed by any form of competition. That power was so comprehensive that It gave authority for such bodies to prevent vehicles of any other kind running over the tracks, and also gave them the right to license others to do so. Au example of this may be seen at Miramar, where the Wellington Gas Company has been given the right to use a track from the Miramar wharf to Its gas-generating works. “In Wellington the tramways department was giving a service which provided transport over from five to six miles for 3d on a concession ticket. This could not possibly be done—and made to pay—by motor-busses,” said Mr. O'Shea. “Prior to 1926 there was in most centres active competition between the tramways and motor-bus services. As this competition was doing no one any good and was harmful to all concerned, the Act of that year (1926) gave local bodies the power to buy out such competing services. In Auckland this purchase cost the city council £68.000, and the Wellington City Council £9OOO. Of the large amount paid by the Auckland City Council about £40,000 was written down as dead loss,, while in Wellington the dead loss "was computed to be between £4OOO and £5OOO, as the City Council was able to use some of the chassis as trucks. Licensing Powers. “The Government in 1926 made tho Wellington City Council a licensing authority, and on that occasion we were given a qualified monopoly of providing transport within the city,” said Mr. O’Shea. "If there were communities of people who wanted a service to their neighbourhood they could petition the municipality to provide one, and the case would be judicially considered. Such a case was that of Mornington in Mellington. It must be remembered that here, as elsewhere, the City Council has extended its motor services, in the majority of instances as feeders to the tramways, and in doing so had incurred, big losses, which up to this time had been made good out of tramway revenue. But parlous conditions exist this year, as both the tramways as well as the buses are losing money. In order to preserve the trams, too. there was a penal fare of 2d per section imposed on pH competitive services against a local body system. It would be interesting to know why the boards under the new Transport Act are not being compelled to Impose that penal fare. If bus services are allowed to compete with tramways, as is made possible under the Bill, it may be confidently assumed that such will not be employed on losing routes,. but on the routes which pay, yet it is practically on the city sections that the solvency of our tramways depends. Good Service. “We in Wellington give the public a satisfactory service, and we ask to be left alone,” Mr. O’Shea continued. If there is going to be a change it can only be tor the worse. Local bodies owning transport services wish to be left as they are, and wish to remain the licensing authority as at present for reasons only too obvious. In n ellington the Railway Department, as.the owner of bus services, has always received every assistance* and has been fairly dealt with. In Auckland they are making great extensions of the tramway system F in Christchurch extra motor services are being provided; and in Wellington the local body is improving and duplicating the tracks, all on the strength of the monopoly granted in existing legislation. The Wellington City Counc.l could not run motor-buses over the hilly route between the city and Karori for such fares as are charged on the tramcars. The position is rather different with the private bus service from Karori to Kelburn, which traverses what is practically a level route. Capital Expenditure. “The city of Wellington has £1,300,000 invested in its trams. In 1926 there was £6.000.000 invested in electric tramways in New Zealand, and probably tne amount has now increased to £8,000,000. Mr. O'Shea concluded. “If the proposed Transport Board were to sanction competitive services without imposing a penal fare, our .trams would qt once become a charge on the city./ and that such a contingency should even, be contemplated nt a time like this indicates the peril in which local bodies are being placed.” .