TRAMS AND POWER

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 104, 30 October 1933, Page 10

TRAMS AND POWER

REFLECTION OF TIMES

DROP IN PASSENGERS

ELECTRICITY STEADY

The annual reports of the city tramway and electricity departments show a very striking contrast in 'the development of business in the two departments. Hard times are bound to affect immediately and strikingly tramway patronage, and this is indeed shown by a comparison of yearly reports, but hard times have not resulted in any marked decrease of electricity business, though there has been a considerable slowing up of the former rate of progress. So hard have tramway passengers found the going that last year's (to March 31) total of passengers carried was nearly twelve million less than the total of the peak year of 1929-30.

The figures that will be given will refer mainly to tramway passengers and to power units sold and not to the finances of tho two departments, for to mako a comparison of finances requires consideration of special factors —relation of working expenses to revenue, capital charges increased by higher exchange and heavier sinking provision, etc.—which cannot be dealt with in the space available.

Tramway passenger figures rose steadiJy in Wellington for many years, and in-1926-27 (the year of the introduction of tho threepenny fare and of municipal bus services) made a huge jump of nearly four million, until 1929-30, when the peak figure of 47,867,371 passengers was reached. Since then the movement has been dishearteningly steadily in the reverse direction. The figures are: — 1929-30 . 47,867,371----1930-31 45,449,479 1931-32 .... ..V 39,328,05.3 1932-3.3 35,989,633 FEWER FROM THE SUBURBS. The drop from tho peak year, •of 11,877,738 passengers, is spread over all kinds of passengers, "universal," concession ticket users, and cash fare passengers, but the main decrease has apparently occurred in the number of people travelling- on the so-called universal fare, for in 1929-30 th,cre were 8,524,980 such passengers, and last year only 4,989,C36. The single section concession passenger also has been more careful of Ms tram rides and more free with his bootleather, for the comparison is 10,934,460 in the peak year and 8,154,096 last year. Cash fares over single sections fell from 8,644,216 to 6,793,156. The maintenance of this single section busi-. ness is particularly important to the department, for it is this type of business which used to out-balance, with a good deal to spare, the much less profitable business of long trips on low concession fares. The falling away in ' the; number' of one-section passengers is mostly due to the fact that people walk about the city where they used to ride, but the drop in the number of long-distance passengers can only mean that people are staying at home. Far too many men have now no reason for'daily trips to town from the suburbs, and the midhour trams, in 1929 kept moderately busy by women shoppers, run. to slack business. PREFER THE HIGHER FAKE. Last year 6,290,247 paid the cash fare, threepence, for two section rides and only 1,984,884 availed themselves of the two section concession ticket (2Jd), but the two-section concession ticket has never been popular; the peak year figures were 8,281,727 cash and 2,235,?60 concession passengers. Still, it is remarkable that so many people prefer to pay threepence cash pcr1 trip rather than to invest half a crown for twelve trips. . POWER FIGURES GROW AGAIN. The peak year in electricity department business was 1930-31, when the total of units purchased and generated was 56,921,607, an increase of over six million units on the previous year. In 1931-32 there' was a slight fall to 56,179,035, but last year the figure rose again, to 56,584,027. Private lighting demands show a small decrease, the figures being:— 1930-31, 9,666,845; 1931-32, 9,192,532; and 1932-33, 8,915,387 units, showing that householders are rather more careful with their switches, but the a.c. power demand is climbing hearteningly after one year's backsliding: 1930-31, 5,516,213; 1931-32, 4,292,418; 1932-33, 4,585,165 units. Power used for heating has ■ risen considerably in the two years, from 15,888,992 to 20,203,206 units. Tramway power requirements are naturally down, due to reduced services, from 11,035.280 to 10,046,222 units. _^ ~