Karori Trams

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 286, 30 August 1935, Page 9

Karori Trams

Sir, —Advisedly I do not head this Karori Tram “Service”—for really sometimes one cannot call it r. service. Scene — Government Buildings tram stop about 10.38 Inst night (Thursday). Tram (No. 133 or 153) comes along bound for Karori —packed, of course, as is usual with most trams to Karori. Writer tries to get on the back platform and is curtly told by the conductor to “get on the middle.” I try there and return to report “no room. Conductor again curtly says “get on the roof”—very helpful of him, and typical of their view, which seems to treat the matter as a huge joke. Eventually I inanage to squeeze on to the train in the middle compartment in which there were eighteen persons standing. The other two inslide compartments were filled to overflowing with standing as well as sitting passengers, and the back platform was also filled to suffocation. Now,, for the sake of Karori residents when will someone in the Tramway Department wake up to what is required. Several months ago there was quite an agitation about the same matter, and no doubt there was some improvement for a bit as a result; but officialdom seems to have sunk into its Rip Van Winkle eleep again. Perhaps, with the spring coming along, the sun may thaw them into some sort of action. If a private company were running the business in the same way the conditions would not be tolerated for one moment by the public—there would be such an outcry that Parliament, etc., would be compelled to take action. Recently, at a talkie picturisation of the events of his Majesty’s 25 years reign there was a scene depicting a crowded ballroom, and as one watched the picture turned into a paddock full of sheep, and then back again to the ballroom. A moving picture should be taken of a Karonbound tram with its usual over-load of passengers, and the same alteration made to depict, say. a’truck full of sheep, just to show the residents of Karori the intolerable conditions they have to put up with when travelling to and from their suburb. Before scrambling on to the Karori tram I rode through the city on a Wadestown-bound tram; strange to say. trams to that suburb always seem to be more than plentiful and always have plenty of room. An inspector came aboard that tram, but one never sees an inspector to whom one might express ms caustic opinion on the unsatisfactory service on an overcrowded Karori tram. Inspectors seem to shun them a® they would besxdext. Wellington, August 23.

[The tramway department’s answer to the above letter is that it is often difficult to provide exactly for night loadings, as thev vary to a great extent through the state of the weather, -and the number of attractions offering in tub city, ine 10.31 p.m. tram from Courtenay Place to Karori does, as a rule, get a good load, as that is one which serves the people attending some of the cit y, c l n t maa ’ n ,. a j variably that tram is preceded by a pilot I? “special" tram, which runs through to the cemetery only, but on s ®'’ eral . J ' stances last week some of the picture theatres closed at the same hour. Just after the special had left, so that there was extra loading on the 10.31 p.m. tram. From next week the special " lc ."b’ ne . <l to run right through to Ka ™ri, instead f making the cemetery stop its terminus.;