CROWDED TRAMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 89, 16 April 1942, Page 6

CROWDED TRAMS

MANAGER'S PROPOSALS

CONFERENCE TOMORROW

Alternative means of reducing the' serious overcrowding on Wellington trams were reported upon to the City Council last night by the General Manager of the; department, Mr. L. B. Hutton. One of his proposals is that some of the seats should be removed as a war measure to make more standing room. 'A conference, of representatives of municipal ' transport undertakings is to. be. held here tomorrow to discuss all angles of the present public transport problem, including the employment of women conductors. Mr. Hutton's proposals have the support of the Wellington tramway committee. Mr. Hutton reported that the overcrowding was brought about by a congestion between 4.30 and 6 p.m. The number of regular .< passengers on all routes was increasing. In some weeks they had carried as many as 200,000 more passengers than in the previous year. The excess was nearly all on the six week days, so that it amounted to between 20,000 and 30,000 extra passengers a* day. Also, there was a tendency for people to attend afternoon entertainments, and they swelled the number wishing to travel home at about 5 p.m. Again, more and more people were being forced to collect their own supplies in the city. ; If, therefore, all available tramcars were on the rails, as they were, and oyercrowding continued, several-steps could be taken: — |L Notices in trams asking people to travel home if they could before 4 p.m. 2. Commencement of afternoon entertainments 30 minutes earlier. 3. Removal of a proportion of the seats in all cars, thus leaving more stanching room. 4. An endeavour to speed up traffic by cutting out a proportion of tram stops. i 5. The union to be asked to varythe present agreement in certain details. ■ 6. Overhaul of time-table. WOMEN, CONDUCTORS. ', The proposal to employ women conductors was first mooted about six months ago, and a number of applications had been received, said Mr. Hutton. ■ The union had declared that it had no objection, provided the rate of pay, was as for r en conductors, but the department had not accepted that view as final.