TRAMWAY TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 58, 5 September 1918, Page 8

TRAMWAY TRAFFIC

DUNEDIN, This Day. Sales on 'Change to-day—Huddart. Parker (ord.), 52s 6d.

10 TBI EDITOR.

Sir,—ln answer to the Traffic Manager's reply I.would like to sta^e that I fail to see where he can attribute this _ loss to the single line in . Vivian-street. . I can safely say that, if the running times were adjusted, these two loops would not be noticed. He also forgets that Island Bay has five loops and a terminus, while Newtown' has only two Joops to ■ contend with. , Further, I think that: the difficulty should have been overcome by the. duplication of Jines in, Cubastreet. Now, in:my,opinion, the trouble should be on the other route, via Courte-nay-place, on account of the amount of mileage in comparison, and also the shunting which Newtown-cars have to contend with. ;'•■ .Hayingfj gone ( further into this matter I find ' that the, loss entailed on Newtown amounts >to i'a 'matter of £5630 2s 6d, at the rate pi Is ■ lid'per car mile yearly. Now', I..if .this 1 amount'were saved if would also save two. .cars, as to run Newtown at the same speed, as Island' Bay the trip should only take fifty minutes, whereas, as at present,, seventy minutes must be, allowed. He also states that owing to the limited ' amount of rolling stock he cannot further ■'. the 6peed on account of public safety. Now if it is safe to travel 'on Island Bay" and' also Lyall Bay, why not_on / ; Newtown line at a speed of nine miles ' ■ if the foregoing amount'could be saved, also the two, cars which would add to his : surplus for rush hours? On behalf of the men I would like to suggest that this saving could 1 be utilised for the purpose of paying the war bonus, which would be ample to supply both single and married men with the 5s weekly instead of paying the married men only. Further, it would prevent what ivas suggested in council, the .raising of fares to- supply , ■■ this proposed bonus. Now I may state that I am "not enlightened :by .Mr. • M'Gillivray's answer; as any person can ' see something is amiss when they require a car to travel, from : Constable-street; to Lyall Bay in less' time' than. from. Con-stable-street to Newtown Park. So 'it is not speed' that is wrong, but loss of time, and if the 105 cars were utilised / in the same manner as the seven on Newtown, it must cost the council something.—l am, etc., ' ■ STILL INTERESTED.

[When this letter was shown to Mr. D. M'Gillivray (Traffic Manager) he stated in reply: "I would undoubtedly have saved your correspondent's time and energy if I had explained in the first place that his promises are wrong. The running time from Newtown to IJambton Station ie 25-minutes and not 33 as' stated in the time-table^ which is the running time through to Thorndori-quay. The running time from Island Bay to Lambton Station is 35 minutes. As a matter of fact the number of cars used to maintain.. the " service between the Lambton Station andi Newtown is five in ordinary hours and six in rush hours.; On the Island Bay run the figures are seven and eight respectively.. I think we can congratulate ourselves;on coming bo close in practice to what your correspondent advocates in tHeory.'"] .