FERRY TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 14, 17 January 1930, Page 11

FERRY TRAFFIC

EFFECT OF BAD WEATHER

EASTBOURNE'S EXPERIENCE

How the unseasonable weather of the past month has adversely affected the Eastbourne ferry traffic was pointed out at last night's meeting of the Eastbourne Borough Council. The Dep-uty-Mayor (Mr. S. Fisher) presided.

Traffic returns for the month of December, with figures for December, 1928, in parentheses, were given as follow:—Muritai: Number of round trips, 57 (69); total distance ste-amed, 855 miles (1035); total oil consumption, 32 tons (39.75); passengers carried, 22,195 (30,366); Cobar: Number of round trips, 186 (174); total distance steamed, 2790 miles (2610); total coal consumption, 82 tons (77); passengers carried, 22,112 (21-093). The total number of passengers carried by the ferries from Ist April to 31st December was 277,135, as compared with 326,813 over the same period in 1928. The buses during the mouth ran 568 trips to Wellington, the total mileage registered being 20,812. Benzine used amounted to 2399 gallons, giving an average of 5.6 miles per gallon over the wh'«lo fleet.

Tho Town Clerk (Mr. C. L. Bishop) submitted the following report on the borough activities during December: — "Expendiure in the Borough Department will require to be kept down to a minimum until the end of the financial year, and no special works should be undertaken. However, there nro ample maintenance- and other works which can occupy the- staff in the meantime, and which will cost very little other than for wages. . . . December was another lean month for the ferries, as the weather was very unsettled, and tho high nor'-westerly winds have mad© travel most unpleasant. The week-ends wore particularly bad, and the- revenue was very much affected. Boxing Day traffic was fairly good, and approximately £100 more was taken as against the previous Boxing Day, which was very wet. The following day was, however, very poor, and this, followed by a stormy week-end, resulted in a decided drop in the takings. The traffic receipts for the month were £120 less than the corresponding month last year, and this. decrease was on weekends alone. The ferry service is absolutely dependent on holiday and,weekend traffic, and' as such depends on suitable conditions prevailing, we are entirely at the mercy of the weather. Traffic for New Year's Day and the day following was quite good, but unsettled conditions since have resulted in a substantial drop in receipts. . . . The traffic in the motor omnibus department was not affected by the weather to the same extent as the ferries; in fact, the very windy weather caused numerous passengers who usually travel by boat, to travel by tho buses. The buses do not depend to the same extent as the ferries upon weather conditions, and the traffic receipts for the month were approximately £100 m excess of thoso for the corresponding month last year. Present indications are that tlio financial result of the year's trading in the bus department will compare favourably with past

As in past years, Wednesday was fixed as the statutory half-holiday in the borough, councillors remarking that there seemed no desiro for a change on the part of the business people.