THE TRAMWAY COMPANY.

Evening Star, Issue 8119, 20 January 1890, Page 1

THE TRAMWAY COMPANY.

lx the report to be presented at the annual meeting of shareholders of the Dunedin and Suburban Tramways Company, which is convened for the 23rd inst., the directors express regret that “ the operations of the year have proved most unsatisfactory.” The expenditure, it appears from the balancesheet, has exceeded the total receipts by £919 14s lOd. This the directors account for by the bad business in the early part of the year, by the opposition in September and October, and, to some extent, by the materially increased expenses since the adoption of the penny sections, the result of the heavy extra mileage. It seems quite clear from the experience now of some years that with the present costly system of traction the shareholders the company can hardly expect oi vidends, par ticularly as, instead of support and sympathy from the City and suburban borough councils, difficulties are thrown in the way of the company by these bodies. The trams are a V€|ry great convenience, the deprivation of which would be very seriously felt; and some consideration is due to the company, who have carried on the service so far efficiently at a pecuniary loss. As a matter of fact no consideration whatever has been granted by the local bodies, and very little by the general public, who did their best to promote and encourage the cut-throat opposition of last year; and ai’e in a perpetual state of growl, it would appear, at the very moderate scale of fares, which, as now settled, compares favorably with that of the cities in Europe and Australia.

The company, as is well known, took O'er the contract, and stand consequently in the shoes of the original promoter. Mr Proudfoot, however, would seem to have taken too sanguine a view as to the growth of population, in the City and suburbs, and in certain matters of detail comaiittcd himself to a possible expenditure which circumstances have not justified either the City Council enforcing or the company incurring. The non-fulfilment of the whole letter of the contract is, however, now and again held in terrorem over the diicctors. “The Council, it should be remembered, said one worthy councillor the other day, “ had in its “ power to compel the company to do “ a great many things which it had not “ done.” This may be assumed to be the case ; and it is not to the credit of the City Council that consent has more than once been refused to a modification of the contract by the excision of practically impossible conditions. It might, however, be suggested that the interests of the public are not likely to be conserved by driving the company into a corner, and forcing possibly the suspension of the train service. All reasonable facilities for travelling are now afforded, and the local authorities should be content to let well alone. Unfortunately there are individuals v ested with the brief authority of municipal position who, realising the necessity of keeping themselves before the public, must ever be kicking up a row about something; and, when they have nothing more exciting on hand, run a sort of muck at the Tramways Corapany. At the very last meeting of the City Council, on the motion of Councillor Fish, it was resolved “That it “ remitted to the General Committee “ examine into the agreement bc- “ tween the City Council and the “ Tramways Company, and report to the Council as to whether the company are carrying out the provisions of the contract in respect to char°r- “ ing double fares after 9 p.m., over- “ crowding cars, and in other respects.” In proposing this resolution Councillor 1) isu assumed the rule of the advocate of an “ aggrieved ” public,’ and practically urged that the company should bo bluffed into reducing the fares, which are now, as he himself admits, considerably within the rate which can legally be charged. Characteristically, he gets a little out of his depth when he meddles with ethics; nor do we suppose he quite understood his own argument when he maintained that doubling the fares after 9 p.m. was “morally an injustice to the ratc- “ payers,” and that “ if the Tramways “Company had a legal right to do “ what was morally wrong the Council “would be justified in putting the “ screw ou them by means of the “ power it possessed ” —a course of proceeding very much akin to blackmailing. The “ grievance,” made so much of, we believe to be by no means generally entertained, whilst the fares can hardly be considered unreasonable. The residents in and about Caversham have been, it may be noted, under some delusion that the foresight and skilful management of the Borough Council had secured them in perpetuity from any raising of the tram fares from the competition rates of last October. A rather unpleasant awakenhowever, has taken place by the decision of the Resident Magistrate in a test case, in which the Mayor took upon himself to “bell the cat.” His Worship having declined to pay double fare after 9 p.m., was haled before the Police Court on the information of the company, and, being duly convicted, had to pay the extra penny, a fine of 10s, and about a couple of pounds in costs! This money, possibly, it may be proposed to pay out of the borough funds; but, as such an item would most certainly not be passed by the Auditor-General, we recommend the Caversham Council to keep within the law as to their expenditure. As to overcrowding, there is certainly no doubt that the limits of moderation are not infrequently passed, and the cars filled to the great discomfort of passengers; but on the other hand, to enforce a hard and fast rule as to ..the _> niaximum number to be carried would entail very general inconvenience. The great influx of visitors just now is a temporary strain upon the accommodation, and it is unreasonable to contend that the com-

pany are bound to provide additional plant to meet traffic conditions manifestly exceptional. The question really resolves itself into this : whether people would prefer things as they are —namely, cars occasionally crowded to excess—or to have the facilities for travelling materially diminished —a certain consequence of the limitation of the numbers to bo carried. This rule is strictly carried out with regard to tramclars and omnibuses in London, Paris, and, wo think, in most European towns; and, notwithstanding the large plant, frequently involves very tiresome waiting. In Dunedin—at least during the Exhibition—it would mean that the cars would he rushed by the young and active, whilst women and children fared hut badly. A crowded car is by no means a pleasant mode of conveyance, hut no conveyance at all might often he worse ; and this is pretty certainly the alternative.

The directors state in the report that they feel justified in believing that “ were electricity once adopted as a “motive power the company w’ould “ immediately become a regular divi-dend-paying concern.” It is intended to come to some definite conclusion relative to the adoption of “electrical traction” as quickly as possible. The preliminary step of obtaining the sanction of the City Council to the propulsion of the cars by electricity was, it may he recollected, taken in August last, when the report of the General Committee on the application of the company was adopted. The “ overhead system ” was the one proposed; the plans and specifications to be first approved by the City Engineer, and “ the posts for “ carrying the wires to be over “ 20ft high.” The directors, it would therefore appear, are in a position to proceed practically to the consideration of the subject; hut are by no means bound to the particular system stated in the application, which, we believe, is somewhatout of date. It would manifestly he of advantage to the City and suburbs to have the horse-traction done away with, independently of the equable motion being more agreeable to travellers in the cars. In respect to the company, they deserve well, in our opinion, of the citizens, and should he dealt with accordingly. We should be glad to see their business a success, the shares at good quotation in the market, and fair dividends.