TRAM V. BUS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 29, 3 August 1926, Page 8

TRAM V. BUS

POSITION IN WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL STATES ITS CASE EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE The case for the Wellington City Conncil was stated to-day before the Select Committee of the House of Representatives set up to consider the recently gazetted Motor-omnibus Regulations. The delegate for the council was Councillor H. D. Bennett, who asked that the regulations as originally gazetted should be adhered to.

Mr. Bennett, in giving evidence on behalf of the Tramway Department, said that up to tho present Wellington had not been hit so badly as Auckland, and the local trouble had, therefore,- uot b^en nearly so acut^p. The attack on the municipal system in Auckland, however, waa indicative of what was to follow in Wellington and in other cities, and the Wellington City Council urged that the original regulations be adhered to. "In Wellington," he said, "the competition with the tramways is at present limited to fourteen private buses. There is only one company operating ,in Wellington in competition, and if this competition was to be confined to that of this company's presont fleet, the Wellington City Council would favourably consider the amended regulations providing for the optional right to impose tho extra twopence. As a matter of fact, an intimation to this effect had been given to the Wellington Bus Company prior to the setting up of this Committee. In view, however, of the tremendous public interests involved, and of the possibilities ahead, the Wollington City Council joins with Auckland in asking for the original regulations, including the absolute right to' impose the extra twopence. INTERESTS OF THE COMMON- " WEALTH. "The case for the Wellington City may be set out in paragraphs as follow: —• "The interests of the mass public cannot be conserved by individuals as individuals, and such interests, therefore, must be made subject to general regulations and control by the police or public bodies. "The Wellington Corporation tramways are owned by the citizens and conducted by their representatives for the benefit of the people as a whole. It is the function of the citizens' representatives to guard the interests of the commonwealth. "The one and' only aim of the municipal enterprise is service to the citizens at 1 the lowest possible cost. The sole aim of private enterprise can be expressed on one word —Dividends. "The money that private enterprise would distribute to its shareholders as 'dividends' is in the case of the Wellington Corporation Tramways retained by the citizens and utilised to their general advantage. This is a fact' to which the financial records of the undertaking will attest. AT A LOSS. "Services are maintained to outlying districts —in many cases at a loss. Promts derived from the cnterprisj arc devoted to the development of tho undertaking in such a manner as to afford increased services to the people without increasing the public indebtedness. '•'Under the concession fare rates now in vogue in Wellington, passengers can travel,to the extreme points of tho system at a charge of threepence, •which is at. the .rate of less than a halfpenny per mile on the longest trips. "In addition to these liberal rates the Corporation is compelled under the Orders-in-Council which authorised the construction and operation of the tramways to issue, workers' tickets at rates below the cost of operation., "The Corporation Tramways aro al3o an important factor in assisting citizens to take'full advantage of educational facilities by the issue of monthly tramway tickets to- scholars of primary and secondary schools by giving as low rates as one-eighth of a penny per mile. ILLUMINATING FIGURES. "The.following figures show concisely how ■ the ■ Wellington Tramways are catering for the citizens':—Last year forty-two and a-half million passengers were carried at the following fares: Twenty milllion passengers paid cash fares at an average rate of a fraction ovor a penny per mile. Seventeen million passengers used concession tickets paying an average of two-thirds of a penny per mile. One million passengers were carried, on workers' concessions at an average rate of three-fifths of a penny ppr .mile. ' Two million scholars up to eighteen years of age were carried at an average cost of a sixth of a penny per mile. Two and a-half million children were carried at rates from four-fifths of a ponny down to a farthing per mile. PROTECTION IS ESSENTIAL. "Ualess the Wellington undertaking is given a substantial form of protection it is evident from the presentknown position of the finances of the concern that the citizens will not be able to continue the enjoyment of these, exceptionally cheap fares. If the rovenues of the undertaking aro seriously impaired by unrestricted competition in the future, the City Council will be faced with the necessity of raising fares or striking a tramway rate. As an instance of the necessary obligation now imposed on the municipality in order to cater for the whole of the transportation of the city, the undertaking has not only to provide services at tho slack hours of the day, but is called upon to practically double its services during the short peak loading hours. This has necessitated an additional capital outlay on rolling stock, car-shed accommodation, and power plant, approximating a quarter of a million pounds, sterling, which is only : venue producing for less than four hours daily. Private enterprise does not cater for the peak-loading traffic. It merely skims the load offering and leaves the bulk to the trams. CITY IMPBOVEMENTS. "The tramway revenues have been drawn upon for extensive city improvements, such as the construction of new roads, street widenr gs, and improvements to reserves, street lighting, waiting sheds, and conveniences and other improvements. The tramways also provides for tho lighting of its tracks, which is a benefit to the whole of tho community. Tramways in tho cities are actually part of their constitution, and are a standing and constant factor in the p.jst, present, and future needs of the citizens. This form of transport in tho hands of the municipalities in New Zealand has given their citizens good and cheap facilities! for settlement, and development of tho cities entirely in the interests of the citizens, and conserving to them the full benefits of any surpluses over and above cost of operation. In Wellington it is very largely due to its tramway ays'- m that its outlying suburban areas have been populated and otherwise, developed.

Buses cannot handle mass transportation. Many authorities can bo. quoted in support of this statement. MEETING "ALL-DAY" SEr.VICE. "Tramways can only be an economic proposition if they aro laid down to carry mass transport and tho mass transport is there for it to handle. Tramways under such conditions can meet the 'all-day' service required by tho people. The capability of the tramway undertaking to fully cater for tho public requirements under all conditions of traffic can only be maintained by keeping it in a sound financial position. The Wellington tramway fare system, covers cash fares from ono to fivo sections— 2d to Od—and there aro concession tickets issued for each class of ride with a maximum concession of 50 per cent, in the caso of tho five-section rides. On the longest runs that can bo travelled' for a threepenny fare the distance is over six miles, tho fares working out at less than a halfpenny per mile. To cope with tho public requirements at the peak loading hours of the day the Department is doubling its service at very great cost, but without any increase in the faros ■to the passengers. It is only possible to continue and extend rush-hour facilities to the maximum if the revenues of tho Department are conserved against unrestricted competition throughout the general periods of tho day. The bus proprietors, on the other hand, 1 make practically no effort to provide additional facilities for the public •at rush hours. Only two alternatives remain, namely, a direct contribution from rates, which is unthinkable, or increase of revenue by increase in fares. An increase in fares completes the vicious circle. "Tho ownership of tramways is usually vested in the body providing the roads. The legislature of the country has found no necessity previously for providing adequate protection to the municipalities against the cost of repairing after intensive bus traffic on roads. This is a new thing to us. BUSES COULD NOT MAINTAIN SERVICES. "From tLe known facts regarding' the transportation problem in this city, it would be impossible for motor-buses to maintain existing services (at present furnished by tramways) at the present scale of fares, and pay any dividends at all. It is one thing to run partial services along certain selected routes, and quite another proposition to run services along all routes. The tramways department provides adequate services on all routes; this is made possible by the fact that payable routes compensate for non-payable routes. If the undertaking is permitted tjo develop untramelled by privateer motor-buses, the City Council will be in a position to accommodate its tramway services to the natural future growth of tho city without any additional financial burden falling upon the shoulders of the citizens. On the other hand, if, through unrestricted competition by motor-buses, the financial position of the tramways ia impaired and the tramways are superseded by the buses, citizens will be called upon to pay increased fares for inadequate services. TRAMWAYS SERVE ALL PARTS. "The tramways are carrying considerably more than the whole population of Greater Wellington every day, including Sundays, and wo confidently assert that there aro no other present 'means of transport that could do this so expeditiously and cheaply. Practically all parts of the city aro served by tramways—non-payable routes as well as the main arteries of traffic. As an economic factor in the prosperity of the community, electricity ia playing an important part. If the present tramways' were replaced by motor-buses and the present volumo of transport; facilities maintained, the propolling power of tho petrol-driven vehicles would cost four times as much as cloc- ■ tricity. Electricity is nationally or locally produced, the Wellington Corporation Tramways being an important factor in connection with* a national enterprise, viz., the Mangahao 'hydroelectric power scheme. All money expended upon electricity remains in the country, and assists in internal national development. "Petrol, on'the contrary, must be imported from foreign sources, and this would mean that Welllington citizens would be sending approximately a quarter of a million of money out of the country every year. Moreover, a local motor-bus enterprise, private or municipal, would be subject to overseas markets for general motor supplies, and tho heavy importation costs entailed thereby would certainly be passed on to the citizens in the form of increased fares. WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS. "Having thus stated the main points to Tan considered, it .only remains for ms to say that we want to be left in a position which will enable us to continue transporting our people to and from their work, at the present threepenny universal fare. Tho adoption of that low fare has meant the giving of an annual concession of nearly £20,000, and naturally the department cannot afford to continue this cheap fare unless the wholo of tho traffic it has built up in the past is conserved to the undertaking. In connection with the problem of efficient and cheap transport for tho citizens, the average individual does not bother to study the question; he wants all that is going. It is not his particular function to study the welfare, of the citizens as it concerns them generally, and it is notorious that there aro but few who trouble to come forward in defence of the public purse. But, say, take away the threepenny universal fare now onjoyed by the people of Wellington., and you will then hear nil about it. This country aimed for the greatest degree of national efficiency during the war period. No stretch of imagination is required when one states that the economic waste referred to would be ruthlessly eradicated at the hands of a National Efficiency Board." DUNEDIN AND CHEISTCHUKCH. William H. M'Kenzie, manager of the Dunedin Tramways, asked for the operation of the regulations in their entirety. In Dunedin they were in the fortunate position of having no bus competition, and they were ablo to charge tho lowest fares in New Zealand. That was tho case wherever ' a monopoly oxistod. The Dunedin City Council was running eighteen buses in six districts. This was done i"or tho convenience of tho people^ although they wero not paying. They had had an example of what private buses wero during tho Exhibition, and it was h . wonder that they did not have.a number of accidents. The Hoii. J. Barr, M.L.C., gave evidence on behalf of the Christchurch

Tramways Board. Ho stated that tho board had extended its tramways boyond the city area, and, in fact, beyond what was economically sound. The Chairman: "Have you reached your limit, yet?" Mr. Barr: "On one side tho sea is our limit and we have reached that. On tho other side Dunedin —or, in fact, the Bluff—is our limit." The witness replied to an allegation that had been made that the Christchurch trams ran at a spaed of thirtyfive miles.per hour; it had been proved that tho most they could get out of tho trams was twenty-two miles per hour. That was without stopc. With stops they were lucky to get nineteen miles per hour out of them. Tho Christchurch Tramway Board was in favour of the regulations as originally draftod. (Proceeding.)