TRAM GRIEVANCES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 4, 5 July 1910, Page 10

TRAM GRIEVANCES.

MOTORMEN AND CONDUCTORS. THE QUESTION OF APPEALS. PROPOSALS BY THE EMPLOYEES.

Certain phases of tho Tramways Bill of last session were brought under the notice of the Minister for Public Works (Hon. R. M'Kenzie) last night by a deputation from the Wellington Tramways Union. .The Bill, xt will bo remembered, gave the Minister for Public \&k>rks power of inspection of rolling stock, appliances, and so on, with consequent power to insist on alterations which w ere _ reported to be necessary, besides enabling the Governor (which means the Government in such a case) to make regulations providing for the periodical inspection of traiscars, their licensing, prescribing the maximum number of passengers that may be carried in a car on any particular route or grade, and, generally, for the licensing of all cars by the Minister before they could be used for running purposes. AN APPEAL BOARD WANTED. Mr. Fisher introduced the deputation, i-emarking that the Trades and Labour Council had at first resolved to attend, but at last had decided thai, it would not do so. The deputation asked that a clause should be inserted in the Bill giving all traniway employees a» appeal board, without the right of veto, that a Government inspector be appointed, fchat all motormen be certificat- | ed, and that there be a speed limit, as under present conditions a motorman to carry out instructions had to drive the car at a speed which was dangerous either to himself or the public. Some of the cars in Wellington were running at excessive speeds, occasionally attaining a speed of thirty miles ait hour. The motorman said that if, owing to unforeseen circumstances, the car got behind time, he had to get xo the terminus at a given time, failing which he incurred a penalty, although in endeavouring to comply with the regulation he was compelled to drive the car, probably through crowded streets, at a rate which was dangerous to everynody concerned. Mr. Jones, secretary of the Tramways Union, dealt with these points in detail, pointing ono that at present appeal was only given back to the body which imposed the penalty, and that appeal was only possible in case of dismissal, and not in case of suspension or disrating. They also desired to have legislation directed against overloading, and to have the appliances on the cars put in a tmiform and reasonable, position. MOTORMEN'S TEOUBLES. Mr. Sutherland, president of the union, said the feeling throughout the tramway services of the Dominion was in favour of the formation of an appeal board. Men had been dismissed for dishonesty, and it had afterwards been proved that it was the fault of the printer. A case of that sort occurred only a few days ago. The same thing occurred with the motormen, who sometimes had to run beyond the regulation speed to enable them to keep to the time-table. For that reason they wanted an impartial tribunal to deal with such cases. Further, in case of failure of brakes and kindred accidents he urged that some of the blame should attach to the car; at present the car and its equipment were 1 never considered. Another member of the deputation said that more than one conductor had been dismissed owing to his having issued wrongly-enumerated tickets. The men generally were working under very hard circumstances. This deputationist also pointed out the extreme difficulty of handling the platform, appliances on some of the cars, and the inconvenience to which the motorman was subjected. The Minister : I want your assistance in getting the Bill through. THE SPEED LIMIT. Another member of the deputation (Mr. Faire) urged that metormen should bo licensed and examined by the Government. At present 'they did not get the protection that theiu responsibilities deserved. A locomotive driver drove along a private way, but a tramway driver drove through, busy and sometimes narrow streets, and they objected to a driver who had met with an accident not having the right to appeal to an independent authority. The speed limit was fifteen miles an. hour, but on some of the routes the 'speed went up to over twenty mileg an hour — in some cases to thirty miles am hour. The lowest average was sboteen miles an hour. From Karori to : "Botanical Gardens it was twenty-six miles an hour. And yet a little while ago a motorman had been reduced to conductor for coming down Rintoul-street at too fast a pace. The deputation did not consider that local bodies should set down their own examinations ; they believed that, as the lives of the travelling public were at stake, the license sho*3d bo issued by a central authority. Also, he urged that in narrow streets cars of the palace or combination type shpwld be Sone away with, as they constituted a distinct source of danger to drivers and the public. Mr. Timms, conductor, urged that cars v/ith outside platforms were a danger in narrow streets, as i hey constituted a great source of danger to the conductors. Tho Governmeel should- insist on cars which provided the minimum of risk to the men- employed on them. There had al pearly been two deaths from this cause, and the question among the men \va-s, ' who will be next? When a section *f line was passed by the Government;. Inspector a time limit for the 'distance should be fixed. Mr. D. Dalton, on b4hj(>lf of the Tramways Federation of.

which lie said was a very numerous body, upheld the views of previous speakers. Mr. Jones said they thought it would be sufficient if the present system of training motormen was embodied in regulations ? In answer to Mr. Fisher, a member, of the deputation said that at one time members of the clerical staff of the tramways office had been put on driving at busy times, with only a brief period of training. He considered the present system satisfactory — twelve months' conducting first, then a period of training as motorman, and then io run in ordinary trafiic. With regard to overcrowding, a member of the deputation said that on Saturday afternoon last a car from Veitch and Allan's corner to Rintoul-street, supposed to carry 46 passengers, actually carried 120 passengers, and the conductor would have been penalised if he had missed any fares. In answer to questions by the Minister, the deputation said that their idea was that the Appeal Board should consist of one member appointed "by the employees, one by the corporation, and a chairman appointed mutually, or by the Minister if the parties were unable to agree. What would you consider a reasonable speed limit? asked the Minister. Fifteen miles is fast enough for anything, was the reply. "You would never get the journeys done at that pace," said the Minister. "I must be fair and reasonable, otherwise I won't get anything through." In answer to another question by the Minister regarding its views on overloading, the deputation said it did not mind the cars being filled beyond the natural limit, so long as the conductor could get inuide the car to avoid striking a cart that was passing. After furtner questioning, the Minister said he would get a Bill prepared and put before the House and referred to a special committee.