OUR ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 12069, 15 December 1903, Page 2

OUR ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

The proposal to buy the Dunedin and Suburban Tramways for the CFty and rebuild the lines according to modern requirements found favor from the first with the cormmmity at large; the people "took to it," as the saying goes, and, having approved of the project, they manifested a friendly interest in its development by refraining from meddling with the financial or constructive operations, also by making it a pi'.nt of honor to abstain from grumbling about the inconvenience suffered during the transformation period. In the rejoicing over the opening there is therefore no admixture of reproach on account of incredulity or scoffing. His Worship the Mayor and other leaders of the undertaking can with clear conscience chant their 'Nunc Dimittis,' and the citizens at large- do wall to exchange congratulations, for the inauguration of the new; tramway service is an event of historic importance, in that tho southermosb of the world's provincial capitals is now placed upon municipal equality with London and Paris in regard to streettraffic, and, moreover, Dunedin's enterprise commends itself in that it is sure to pay. City improvements always pay sooner or later. Take as an example the widening of- Princes street south. All that was said and done in connection with that important work is long forgotten and forgiven. The present generation of burgesses ask no questions about the means adopted. If told that it was "a job," they would probably reply that it is a pity the job did not take in the whole length of the street. And the answer would be perfectly unchallengeable-. Though angrily denounced at the time, tlv widening has paid Dunedin handsomu'v. The tramways venture now well advanced has not only the general sanction that attends all schemes for civic advancement, but also the special warranty of esperira:.--and calculation. There is nothing of i'i: experiment about it Great Britni::, America, the Continent, and Australia nn-:. in supplying testimony that electrio trur,: ways are a great public convenience, and c the same time a source of revenue, and r any doubt existed as to the preparedness <-.-' Dunedin for such a step as that now take: l it is met by the evidence of the figures supplied to the City Council from time to tin:* showing how the returns have incrta.--.;.; under municipal management. Thanks tcthe courtesy of Mr T. Reid, traffic manager, \ro axe enabled to present these returns ir. a summarised form. They show these n* stilts:—ln the last year of the company I .* management the takings from all trr-lfr?

averaged £522 10s per ■week. Is tiro first year of the Corporation, nianagiinccfc the return reached £566 2s 4d per Tr'eek; in the second year it rose to £576 6s Id per week; and for the first eighteenvreeks of the present year, starting in April, the return came to about £6OO per week. These figures include- season tickets. Mr Tteid's statement proves the soundness of the original investment on the part of the City ; it like-wise demonstrates the efficiency of the municipal control; and unless Dunedin is to huve a singular experience of thf electric system the prospect is of larger profits fcr the treasury whilst bestowing upon the City and suburbs the great benefits of rwift, comfortable, and cheap travelling. We join heartily with our fellow-citizens in celebrating this the most important event that has ever taken place in the history of Dunedin. The new service looks well, it is something to show to our visitors as well as to give ourselves enjoyment, and to a cautions community it must bet a capping satisfaction that the advantages are being secured without speculative pecuniary Tisk. The First of the Dunedin Tramways. From out of the dusty records on rite shelves and the half-forgotten recollections of the circumstances which gave Dunedin wid suburbs their first tramway system the one dominating and ever-clear fact is the personal agency of Mr David Proudfoofc. Be was a man of ample vision and bold ideas. To him we were indebted for the Port Chalmers Railway, which supplanted the old steamboat and lighter services between Dunedin and the Port and ultimately supplied a connecting link on the main trunk line. slr Proudfoot saw the possibilities of civic development and profit to himself presented by the provisions of tire Tramways Act passed in 1872, and set to work to secure concessions under it from the City Corporation and the councils el the adjoining boroughs, and as soon 3*5 be had obtained these rights he proceeded to use them by constructing the compreheusiTe system of tramways that connected the further end of the North-east Valley with the Ocean Beach. His rails ran for a length of seventeen miles. The work went on quickly and in a workmanlike manner under the supervision of Mr John Mondy as engineer; and, though it was Mr Proudfoot's first venture in respect to tramways, the service he inaugurated justified itself at onco by meeting public requirements, whilst as to the constructive stability of the permanent way we have abundant evidence in the fact that the tracks have lasted, with a rather sparing amount of upkeep, to the present day—a period of very nearly a quarter of a century. In our rejoicings over the new system, let its not omit a grateful thought for the man who firstcheapened our street traffic, and emaacipated us from the extortions of cazHxzsn who charged anything from 4d to 14s for a trip beyond the City boundaries, and get lis into the way of using trams, thus adding to the pleasures and the conveniences of daSy Hfe, facilitating business, and. lttsagiug our City up to date. The Dunedin cars eommenced to take 'passengers on tie 7th July, 1879. At fcvi the hauling was done entirely by fecem©tives. These engines will be TreTl reraisabered—how they used to snort and po2 -cp the ascents, and hurry downhill, ani frighten the horses. Before the tocs£K <u July was out, however, bsgsn to rnn along Princes and Gesrgy streei-a, and the engines were ehiefiy wed for the longer through trips. They twjo supposed to run at a speed of a&esst six miles an hour, but the driveni trs® empowered to get. up a speed of ten mflea if Eficessary. Mr Proudfoot west to a great deal of expense in purchasing good hosts. Better teams than his had never beea seen, on the roads. Residents oa the Hat -wiS. perhaps remember three coal-Hack horses that used to run on €he Ocean Beach Ene*

CASTLE STREET TO lOETH-E2ST YKTJM SEcnoi

NW PBACTICAII-Y EEABV SOS, USE.

OEEICIAI OPENING <OT THE USE TO-MOKBOTf.

tasrairrns, in the quiet of a summer even, ing, in ten minutes dead. Just when the service was in thorough working order a most disastrous fire burn* out a large quantity of the plant housed ia the sheds on the reclaimed land. The cars thus consumed were sightly and clsgaat, buflt in Norway. Mr Proudfoot managed, however, to keep the service going in a sort of way, resorting to all kinds of expedients to accommodate the travelling public Many ■will remember that one of the shifts iris tp mount railway car bodies on to the rmbrtmii nnder-carriages of the tramcars, makirrfr ft fearful load for the horses. The manshifts were replaced as soon as possible by cars built at Schenectady, United States, and ordered by cablegram. Some of these <xra have remained in use to this very day. In February of 1885 Mr Proudfoot sold out to a company of which Mr Wm. Isaac was the promoter. That was the beginning of the much-afflicted but persevering Do* c-din City and Suburban Tramways Cor*. cany—the concern that went through marw changes and vicksiindss, bat presemd throughout its identity and at last b&qucaihed its property to the Corporalwa and died an honored death. Our readers would not be thankful for a recital of tha company's experiences; but we may call ta mind the fact that the capital was £100.005 in £1 shares, and it is certainly a dutv ia I give a list of the original rabsc-ribsiß to" tk-a articles of association. Mr E. A. Lawsoa and Mr Donald Stronach wore holders af 1,000 shares each, Mr H. J, Walter and MjA. R. Livregstoti each held 7oQ, Mr JJ. Sicvwright s'jfh Mr W. J. M". Lamari EO9; and Mr W. Goto 100. Of thesv, aR bub Mr Walter are now dead. A truthful history of the Trsnrwavß Omv pany would bo a veritable Beck of Lamentations. They did their best, but everlasfciagly suffered pecuniary ckartisement for so sas of their own. One of the early schemes for rasing tho wind was to issue season fckkeia to such f«tkot>s as were willing to ts&» •.Hires and limp extend the Compaq's kt•lnence, but in practice this devica mererr multiplied the fault-finders. Then for-->{ji> became dear, and hor?es went up in price, :.nd efforts at economy foid upoa the eS-. dtrwy of tiie f-crvice. At last the Back of. New Zealand kid to come to lie relief toprotect it=- original interest, aad, ib.hi intervention Mas ou the who?.* of a be.; Tfi-nrent character, it made fcl».t> position vwy' awkward, far individaul ehwrsboklras be-:' ■-■.iiJiii. fracfcJTOß over of &s com-! FJ. an«- i-hc direct-on? were hrjpkss. It,' v.-orJd be proSUcss t-o enurnerafie theses i-rosbles or enlarge upon tbenx This, however, b:- set dovn as a bare met-d of justice, that in the end the Rink acted most magnanjznori-ry, forogoing iienvy and vViisf claims for interest, and fch.rm eaabEng tha hard-up company to imitate S«ij*m and parform in their death a grwtter fast than bad ever been accomplished in thcx life—ihafcfc to say, they paid a dividend for txceerihig expectations.

How the City Corporation Secured Ownership, Towards the end of the eighties fee of municipalising the tramways was c r talked about as a step that it would be a& visible to take rccner or later. It is imi easy to name the citizen who first proposed the scheme, and any attempt to trace tha notion to its source would doubtless resuHi in contradictions and "counter-claims. Suffice* it to say that the idea was in the air, cs the sayiDg goes, for somo time before & took a tangible shape. One of the earliest of the definite declarations for munieipaEsa* tion as a solution of existing difficulties cantq from Mr M. C W when addressing l-h<! Leibh Ward ratepayers as a candidate &i the couneillGiship, but in the tan'de ol municipal polite cben ex'retmg Cr Cohen was unable alter securing his seat to find a seconder of a direct- proposal at the Council table, and his advocacy of the scheme did; not immediately lead to anything. StOl ta.& citizens generally chmg to the suggestion, made and maintained from this and othcri quarters. The Tramway Company were faced with a crisis. Reconstruction seemed: unavoidable. They were making notlaDg out of the working; the lines were mesa, while wearing out. Under those circumstances the floating of a new company sp*> peared almost hopeless, chiefly becasose thta concern was not paying, secondly became of the problem as to how to deal with tba more or less valid rights of the dd chase* halders. The position was becoming ajeky ward, if not critical, when the director* ceived an offer to purchase from Mr W. GL Bingham, representing the New Zealand. Electric Light and Traction Company. This. gentleman, already known in the colony, through his negotiations for the AnoklawJ tramways, cabled an offer from London ta the directors of the Dunedin Company. His offer was to pay £50,000 cash, for the whda concern and put down a deposit of £5,000 for the concession on condition that thocompany procured from the Corporation tho right to use the overhead trolly system of electric haulage. Other offers were talked of, but this was? the one that took a practical shape. It was on the ISLh May, 1839, thafcth&Cily Council had this offer before than. K? i£ Swan occupied the mayoral cbsjrv B3V-- Os 'members present were Crs SotomßS, Csanli, Howlisoc, Haynes, Christopher, ixSer, Da-arson, ChJEholm, Gore, Crust, and Itenision. Cr Park was abssnfc ou leave. W?> mention the names as a matter of racord. concerning the meeting ffestieally g?rrc tha municipalisatkwi idea its first formal shapiag. The question came up on the- Tsa&g' oi a letter from Mr 6. Femrick, ehainrca of the Tranway Company directora, asfcritg eonsait to the nee of electric bractioa so- that the company could sell to Mr Bingham. la the course el his letter Mr Frowkk poaated oat that Ha CSty Council had on the -&h J? slumber, 1892, passed a rasolutroa tuSisridsg the use of the ovexhead irofly system of ekctrieify. Turning up ow files, ve tss'.o?ar that the resdaiian referred t@ -craa passed on the mer&ozi of Cr Hariy, seconded, by Cr Barron. The object of the motion was to give ccssest to a «5a to a foreign company-—a sale- that was *»afc sompfetod-s and in commenting en fh©-subject- *e e4 the time drew attention to the fast t&at thrc* yeas previously, nasneljk in 883, the CPty: Council had on Mr £. EL Kaaasfe racoajmendsfion grrcn pesßfessat to fcsiai {W overhead electee system, of «eor jaopulßonJ 3!hes6.i«eords shov fiat Boraßn. i»il»aj

txical system, and in passing it may be noted that Mr Mnams was in a sense the father of tie proposal. Mr Fenwick's letter t» tie 1899 Coona" provoked a serious and basines&-IIkB discos Kkm, Or Haynes moved and Cr Carrol] seconded a motion that the commankaHoa be sent to the G«ieral Conmtfttee for a re port. Or Denniston srpported that proposal, bat at tie same time said he -wished it were possible for the Corporation to acquire the trams. He had been always in favor of that coarse, and was perfectly satisfied that with the cheap money then available it would pay the Corporation to buy. Cr Chisholm said that the only objection be had to granting the request -was that by so doing they would perhaps lose the chaiK*s—possibly for ever—of acquiring tb> trams for the City, -whereas the Corporation might be able to acquire them then at a fair price. Cr Denniston remarked that the concern was under offer to Mr Bingham's company. Tbia led Cr Chisholm to say that he believed the City Council had also a chance, and to bring the matter to a test he moved to add to Cr Haynes's motion for referring the letter to the General Commiitee the words " and take into serious consideration the advisability or otherwise of purchasing the trams." Cr Solomon seconded this amendment. Cr Haynes said that he would fall in with Cr Chisbolm.'s suggestion, for it was in his mind when, he moved the motion.; and the resolution as amended was carried unanimously. Tins turning up of the records shows. fiat, while it is difficult to name tie particular person who first proposed the municipalisation, the honor of taking the step that actually led to the purchase .belongs to Mr Chisholm, backed up by Crs Dertnistoa and Solomon. On the 25th May, 2899, the Town Clerk (Mr W. B. Taylor) wrote to Mr Fenwick stating that the Council's General Cfcmmitt'e were considering the advisability of buy- :-.;■<. the trams, and asking for full infonna- : 'n. To that Mr Fenwick at ones replied. The request, he said, placed the company in a somewhat awkward position. The directors had definitely sold, and they were bound in honor to do their best to acquire the electricity right as one of the conditions. They were therefore preeludcHfrom naming a price at which they conki tell to the Council Upon this letter being read in the Council, Cr Chisholm moved that the Council refuse to grant tie concession. The comp?ny, he said, evidently considered themsaJves committed to the bargain with the syndicate, and it seemed necessary to clear the ground. That could be done by declining to grant tie concession. Cr Dfn niston seconded this proposal most cordial I v. It would, he remarked, be a grievous pi r if the tramway service passed out of i';■■•• CcunciTs hands. He would point out, however, that if the Council refused the concession they would commit themselves 1 o buying the property. They could not act the dog m the manger. Crs Dawson and Christopher also spoke in support of the .' jtep towards mnnicipalisation, and the Coun- j ci generally agreed. ! Then there ensued a lengthy series of ne- i gotiatiens for the buying by the City, com- j mencing with an offer of £45,000," which ! was based upon tic information supplied by j the late Mr Taylor (then town clerk). That j offer was made in September of 1899. Mr ; GLMsolm, taking office as mayor in 2900, \ lushed on the business as fart as he could, \ by a willing Council, but unavoid- ; xtc:\i. !•.;■( r :V. : r. ,--,,*. ov?7 t f, e •

.-:lfct M;-!' ' . :'" ■ :■ imienls were finally sign, a o.!',i 1.:|.,g il k . purchase for £43,082 12s 6d, this being the sum agreed Vpon in consideration of the fact that ten 'tars had been burned and four others damRged by the fire at the tramway sheds. The money was paid in two cheques, the principal one being for £42.881 17s 4d, signed, by Mr R. Chisholm (mayor) and Crs Denniston and Gore. The management of the tramways business grew to be such a big matter that in September of 1900 a special committee was formed, consisting of Mr Chisholm (mayor) and Crs Haynes, Park, Carroll, Scott, and ; Gore; and when, in April, l».901, the Tram- I ■ways Committee became one of th« regular committees, Cr Scott took the chairmanamp, associated with Cra Carroll, Park. Gore, and Lawrence, It) is not the aim of this article to portion out the credit due \ to each man who brought about the fulfil- ; ment of the muniapalisation scheme, but ' we deem it fair to mention specially the un- I tiring work done by Mr T. Scott boti be- : fore and since his accession to the mayor- I alty in connection with this undertaking, I and the citizens generally will agree with osjn Etating that the harmonious completion ' of the purchase was largely due to the tactful manner of Mr G. Fenwick as chairman ' of the selling directors. | Noyes Brothers Come on the Scene. ] To Mr Frank Oakden may be traced the first practical suggestion to carry out the work of conversion on a commercial basis t.v banding it over to a contractor who v. v.ifj Mr 1 den wrote an the subject to Mr Dennis- '.-■ . the then mayor, and by the mayor's ■■ ■ --ice Mr Oakden addressed a letter to the i . Council advocating the employment of ntractor. A lengthy delay took place, on the IStb. January, 1902, the Conned ;"i at last to the point and held their aiemorabls all-night sitting, from 7J50 pjn. t<> 5J30 a.m., discussing the qoestian of uaving the scheme carted oat by contract. S''me considerable time prior to thi<? the ( iy had {nought of Noyes Brothers, an engineering firm of high standing, who had been carrying on business in Australia for about fourteen years. So far back as June of 1900 MrW.at Goodman, of tfca&m, came across to instal the first electrictramvsy hue in Hear Zealand, the Eoslyn-^ne,

ougHy good job tsf the work on the Ml, displaying Trntrfcipd soundness t of judgment in advising as well as giving the greatest satisfaction in regard to the construction, the City Council took advantage of that gentleman's presence to ask him to report at length as to the proposal to substitute dectrie for horse haulage on the city and suburban lines. That report was presented in December of 1900. Subsequently, upon Mr Chisholm's initiative, the City Council employed Noyes Bros, to prepare plans and specificatione, for -which they were to receive 2± per cent, on the total cost of construction, and the firm made an offer to supervise and control the work for per cent, including plans. That was how matters stood at the date of the City Council's special meeting on the 15th January, 1902. On the morning of that day the mayor and Mr Goodman had a chat about Noyes Bros.' offer, in the course of which Mr Denniston said he thought the commission asked was rather high. Mr Goodman replied that he would communicate with his principals on the subject. He did so. and as the result

MR W. G T. / "'•'•'_' ■:'.!'«!>':• .-ent and received during the day the mayor was able to announce at the outset of the evening meeting that Noyes Bros, were willing to throw the plans'in and accept 10 per cent as covering the whole contract. Towards the end of the wearieome stonewall the mind of every councillor was 65sdosed, and it was known how each would vote on Cr Park's proposal to employ Noyes Bros, as contractors upon a cwomission of 10 per cent Crs Park, Carroll, Crust, Braithwaite, Lawrence, and M'Dcaald were for tie motion; Crs Christie, Tapper, Maitland, Mtrir, and Scott were ;:'---.:rtst it—«-ix one way, five the other. But '" "-.••!• !,;,; ;l as well as a - "•hich

--.- (SQL side he would support, for hs _^ kept silence. At the finish, kou..a*«, Mr Denniston voted for the motion, which was declared carried by 7 votes to 5. Cr Gore, however, who was ill at the time and could not attend the meeting, wrote to the mayor saying that he would vote in favor of Noyes Bros, if he could attend, in which event the motion would nave been carried by 8 to 5. That was how Noyes Bros, became rc- -■■ •.•>■. ■'■'■<]:■ ;'. ; :!. , . Tvyir.g (ii;{ of t!iC 1;..-

portent, \rotk cf reconstructing the Dunedni bsnmrays service. The Oancil took a long tame to think about tbe matter, but from the- day tie contract ■was made to the present the •whole community have been completely satisfied as to the -wisdom of the step. Messre Noyes Bros, left to Mr Goodman the "BKirk he had begun so welL

which the schema has been subjected in its development day by day and week by week has given even the most exacting abundant assurance as to the professional ability of the firm's representative and his exceptional skill in planning and organising and selecting good men for the departmental oversight. Mr Goodman is himself an indefatigable worker, and by tact and knowledge he seems to be able to collect about him the very best assistance, from the heads of staff down to the messengers. To those few privileged persons who hav* had the opportunity of seeing him at work in his office his comprehensive knowledge is snrprisin< T . He designed the steam-power plant, and he chose the celluloid collars that the motormen are to wear. He is a man who take? great pains, and thus makes success certain, for nothing is left to chance. In after years Dunedin will remember Mr Goodman with the greatest respect. His assistants in carrying out the construction are Mr J. H. D. Breariey, Mr F. B. Shepherd, Mr J. Bowman, and Mr E. H. Spear. Mr Goodman readily acknowledges their vain- J

able a>,;.-. •:.-. r,:il ,-u:, , .. o„l ; ',.,0 highly of the m..'. ;e r in whiib Lis officers have worked all through the piece. Mr Breaxley is Mr Goodman's first lieutenant, and assists him in all departments. Mr Shepherd is also general assistant, and has been responsible for the training of the motormen, etc Mr Bowerman is assistant on the permanent way work, and Mr Spear is responsible for the accounts. In addition to the above gentlemen, there are Messrs Macdonald and Anstruther Thompson, who do the drafting work. But the public know only Mr Goodman himself, and no doubt his is the master mind in the whole business. Our mayor, Mr T. Scott, cheerfully recognises Mr Goodman's great services, and is now firmly convinced that events have justified the Xov CS contract. Mr .Scott at first, as is recorded", voted against, the handing over of the. con-i-.-i-n to this firm, lie acted thus on prm-.-l-ple. But he has- already stated in pubdc ;liat the resolution come to against his vote ■■-s turned out to be a good thing for Dunlin. As a matter of record it may be ?0 ( down 't the contract for the carhouse «,,. ■led in July last year, the lender for the eorge street bridge- was accepted in ;.e first sod of the earthwork was turned !•-,- -■ir Park (mayor) on the 25th IVoruary tijio 7■-.ar, but work was not commenced until ':arch 19, and then the work could no; k pa shed ahead as desired, b. cause of lh-.- ■ 'ays over the Order-in-Cour,eil. For one !■' riod of nine weeks practically no. : lnng was dene on tic permanent wav •••ork. The first pole for the overlie;-'' > ires was put up on August 23, and since cm 510 have been put up. The hors, s '.•'■ re taken away from the old trarnwav •■•dues in Cumberland street on Julv 30, - ::oke issued from the steain-powcr- : eise chimney on the 11th November, ami i :e trial trip of the first electric car was rim i:-un Custom-house square to the Oarden:> '- ! n the 50th November. This represents very fast work. And further evidence of . the ihoughtfulncss bestowed upon and the i thoroughness of the operations is to be found in the fact that the work has gone on to itn present stage without- a single accident ur mishap. The Cars. ! There-are in all thirty-five cars provided. ■ A photograph of each type appeal's in this issue-. Fourteen of the cars are of the 1 closed in or box type, the enclosed portion ■ 13ft long, with longitudinal seats, and measuring over all about 29ft. The over-all width of the cars; is 7ft 6in. The boxed-in .;■ ;.re fitif-I v/lth •■,shf Sj thus

enabling fhe <sir to be made practically open ■when desirable, and sun blinds permit the passengers to keep the glare out of their eyes \tbeu so desired. The comfort of the mofcorman is stod'-ed, in that the front platform is closed in, as a protection against the weather. The doors leading from the platform are of the mutually operating

both act together. Six Trindows-aro fitted in each side, with arched beads. Fourteen combination cars are also supplied, each having two cross seats at either end, with room for five persons on each seat. In this type of car, again, tho motorman's platform is closed in wit' sashes, and the sides of each platform are fitted with waterproof blinds, which can be lowered in wet or dusty weather. The enclosed portion of the car measures 13ft 6im with longitudinal seats, and the length of the car, including the platforms, is 29ft. Folding gates are added for safety, these preventing passengers from getting on or eff on the wrong side, and the stop on the off sido of the car is so fashioned as to fold up. In addition, there are six cars of the open type, each with ten crosswise seats; the measurements giving ample room for five persons sitting hi a row. The seating capacity of each car is thus fifty persons. Reversible backs enable the passengers to always face to the front, and an added item of cotnfc.it is tliu supplying of foot-rails under tho seats, so that passengers can be at their ease and so dispose their limbs as not to he in one another's way. Though these cars are absolutely open, they can, upon an emergency, be- made to five skelter against storm, for waterproof curtains, ordinarily lying in a neat roll overhead, can be lowered to the- deck, if so desired. The steps on the side fold up, and a barricade is provided, to prevent the incautious passenger from the danger of entering or leaving on the wrong side. A sprinkler car, with a capacity of 2,500 gallons, completes the rolling-stock. The whole of the cars were manufactured by the celebrated J. 0. Brill Company, of riii'«:i<:'; !; ; . IV.. :.;, ! ./.. recin-il.od on f!,e

Til- > ■ whee"-, Son ::i diameter. Th... and axle,- come f,uiu Germany, being turned out to order by the famous Magdeburg firm of Fried Krupp. Each car i 3 provided with two 55 horse-power motors. In these motors we see English work of the best. type, for they were manufactured by the British Wesiinghouse Company, of Trrrfford Park, Manchester. The brakes selected by Mr Goodman and accepted by the Corporation are quite a specialty. Each truck is fitted with the now well-known Westinghouse magnetic brake. This brake is energised by the motors, which, on a down grade and when pulling up, act as generators, and give oi? a current that magnetises the track slipper, and this in turn applies tie brake to the wheels. With the Westinghouse magnetic brake such a thing as the skidding of wheels is absolutely impossible, because at the moment, skidding commences the motors cease to give the current, and the brake goes off. As to the interior fini-Ii of the cars, the public have probably now seen enough to be satisfied that the promise of brightness and elaboration has been faithfully carried out. They are indeed elegant carriages, yet not over-burdened with useless or dirtaccnmulating fripperies. A feature of the arrangements is that signal alarm are provided, also electric push-buttons to each window post, so that all that a passenger has to do when he wishes to stop at one of tho regulation stopping-places is to put his hand behind him and press the button there conveniently foun/L The monitor ; deck roofs of the cars help to improve their : sightliness, and an abundance of fresb air i is supplied by the ventilating sashes on

ea-J.i. side. The interior woodwork is of quartered oak, and the ceilings are of fchreeply veneer quartered oak, decorated with aluminium. The seats and backs are covered with handsome Wilton carpeting. All the sashes are of quartered oak, and the glass o£ the windows is set in felt to prevent, vibration. The • lighting of the cars is on sueh a scale as to impart a most cheerful appearance to the interior at night and mike the reading of ordinary print no tas upon the eyes. There are nine 16 c»ffi3£SSffiSt JfcSß* M. Jte

each cat, and a 32-candle-powier lamp is] used for the head-light. j Externally the appearance of the cars-'] is a happy compromise of the pictorial and! the useful It is from plans selected by * Mr Goodman whilst on bis recent visit to j England and America, and it- may be same] satisfaction to Dunedinites to know thatj the design of the decorations corresponds j in the main with those of lie new caxs'l put upon the roads by the London County j Council The convex panels, dasher, etc,. are in Indian red ; the concave paßelv stiles, postx, etc.. in a shade of canary yeilow. The lettering is plain and pretty, and the remarkably smooth finish is a permanent answer to any who may be-inclined to underrate Bunedin work. The cars were shipped in pieces, with just a primary coat of paint upon them, and all the rest of the painting work- was done by local labor. Each car is supplied with destination sign -boxes fixed at each side and over the canopy, and by night the signs over the canopy are to be illmnhmtcd, so us to be read some distance off. The Carhouse. The brick and concrete carhouse in Market street, a substantial and capacious building, was completed by the contractors, Messrs MTvechnie and Fleming, in October last. It measures 165 ft square, and is very finely lighted from a sawtooth roof. 'Hie equipment is complete. From the huge lifting door? no fewer than thirteen tracks are led for the accommodation of the fifty-two cars that the room is calculated to hold. In addition there, is a traversing track. The floors are of concrete, so channelled as to make an accumulation of water impossible. Eight examina<d»n "its a-- •::■,:;*.-;. i, ; -i;vr bricked,

repairing stall cau thus insped the. nnatr carriages without having to crawl on hands and knees. Compressed air is at the service of the workmen for swiftly ami efficiently Mewing out the dns- from the. cars and motors—another convenience tending to the comfort of the employees and the hastening of the work; and au abundant Hipply of water and electric light is also arranged for. Alongside of the earhouse there is a large repairing rfmp, equipped -with some of the newest Ameriwi machinery, including a hydraulic wheel pi ess that can give a squeeze of 100 tons, Jathes of the latest design, two drillers., and a planing machine. By the means of overhead cranes the necessary lifts are made mere child's play. Alsu oil' the earhouse are to be found the armature repairing shop, the foreman's office. the store rooms, a fireproof oil and paint s-'hop, and a recess in which there is a gas oven for drying the electrical machinery. These several adjuncts to the • estabEshment have been thoughtfully designed <ind so built as to economise labor and time, and make the men comfortable in their work. The cash office is on the ground floor; above :"t are the rooms for the nse of the chief engineer, the draughtsman, the inspectors, and the clerks. Lavatories and a press ior papers are also provided. Tlie accommodation for the motormen and- <» E . dnctors includes an elaborate scheme of wire-fronted lockers. Each man has Lis own. key, so that he cm keep his o*erdofches or other things quite to himself. The earhouse is in all respects faflynp to date. The Power-bouse, Wafer-rKjwer-dranni from the Lee Stream is to be relied -upon for generating the electricity when the system is perfected, but it. will take some time to accomplish this. The boring of the tunnel to bring in the Lee Stream water is reckoned a two and a-h&lf years' job. In January last the Council decided to order a steam, plant to go on with, in the meantime, and Air Goodman set about the task of designing a j suitable bnflding on the site of the old tramway stables, and ordering the necessary plant. Unavoidable delays impeded. the progress of the work, the difficulty in obtaining the number of bricklayers re-.

horses were not tamed out till August. When fairly started, however, such excellent progress -was made that early in November the fires were lighted under the boilers and tie plant was practically ready for use. The building is of brick, on a concrete foundation. Space in the engine room is provided for three generating units, each consisting of one Westinghonse- dynamo coupled to a BeHis-Morcom engine of 300 kp. capacity. Two of these units are clready installed; the other will shortly come to hand. In the boiler room there -are to be four boilers of the Babcocfc-Wikox type, each having a heating surface of 1,619 square feet. These boilers generate steam at a pressure of 13Glb. Three of the bailers are in. position; the fourth, yet to arrive. The very complete system of steam piping, exhanst piping, hot and cold water feed piping, drip piping, etc., is designed in accordance "with the most modem inventions, and the feed pumps are-of the -celebrated 'Warthingtan pattern. The boilers "WJere suppfied by J. McGregor and G>., oHh&Otago

Foundry, the shells being madia by that finn at fhdr Stuart street -works. The steel chimney sterk, 125 ft high, lined for 50ft with iire-bricLs, was constructed byMessrs A. and T.. Cnit. It is the tallest chimney in the district. The building is of a substantial and durable character, roomy, and well-lighted, the plant the best (hat} money can buy, and. though called the j " temjiorary" power-house, will no doubt last for many years as a stand-by, quite efficient to supply the power alone if an emergency should arise. Mr Goodman says that the steam plant can generate power sufficient to keep twenty-eight airs running, ;uid that with the superior efficiency of electricity fourteen of these cars could do all the carrying hitherto done by i the whole of the horse-drawn service. This j calculation should satisfy the citizens that ■ tirere is an abundance of power available. Adjoining the steam-plant station there : is the converter sub-station tor converting ; the alternating into a direct current. This, of course, will not be wanted unil: the water is available, but we m;ty slat. that here also, every care is being taken (• ■ supply the most serviceable modern pl.i-i! that can be obtained. lit the convert. ; room there are to lie the rotary corive:;.. ■.-. positive trad negative boosters, and r' :.<. machinery of tin- most .approved type. The Tracks. The length, of the horse-tracks wh-■,. bought by the Coiponuion was sevent <:• i; miles. The new electric service as o:;.-i nally planned p.roviiled for a length <.. 19 miles 27 chains. As tatfiuled. lie system is to eventually stretch to 25 mil-.. The gauge, is the standard gauge of -",:" Bjin, being thus uniform with the gang. in Australia and other New Zealand ciler The rails cam-- fiom Iklg'nun. 'i'iiey :.; laid on Australian sleepers placed on ;i ' ■■ of concrete v. fere the grouii'l i- bad ami ■ ballast, wbcv lha v; round is .eel. -ml ; ; track is- W'.ppe-l wiiii tarred a -c dim ;•'. ; parts excepting Custom-ho-t-.. Aviar. , wis - the surface is oi Neuohalcl astdjah. i: ■. special points and crctes-iiii."* were made hj the Swain Steel Company, at Johnston (Pa.). Koth under foot and overhead the service amply fulfils the. promise that it would not spoil the appearance of the streets. As a matter of fact, it has smartened up the thoroughfares. In all respects the service is -worthy of Thmedin, both as to appearance and durability, and there is every reason to belk-ve that the expectations as to efficiency will be realised. The City Council are to be congratulated on the completion of one important section of the undertaking, Mr T. Scott (mayor) and Cr Christie (chairman of the Tramways Committee) deserving special acknowledgments in this respect, and we desire to emphasise the fact that Messrs Nbycs Bros, and their worthy local representative have earned the thanks of the community by devoting- tie ;■• t :/■;-,- in the heartiest wav

towards the carrying out of the scheme and by employing local labor for all that could be locally undertaken. As stated, the rails are from Belgium, the axles and wheels from Germany, and the cars from America, but it is an Englishman who is doing all the thinking, and Xew Zealanders have supplied .the manual labor. The Traffic Staff. The following is a complete list of the employees in tins traffic department, cor-

Traffic managcT: Mr. T. H. Reid. Inspectors: A. E. Mel'iqk, A. Kennedy, J. Golden, F. Lenz, W. lies, XV. Barry, J. Hair. Drivers: A. Robertson, T. Hill, K. Shearer, P. Mullins, R. Marsh, T. Hopknr?, J. Wheeler, J. Robertson, F. Gantley, W. Kc.pe, G. Pearee, T. Warren, J. Carrme, A If. Robertson, J. Maine, J. H. Cross, E. Quarterman. S. BrettclL S. Richmond, R. Bowks, A. Sutherland, T. Pryde, W. Grieves, H. Falkoner. J. -M* Arthur, JRonald, C. Wright, J. Read, A. Duncan, W. Hotnan, J. Kfien, P. Rodden, M. Boyle, E. Green, H. Qna-rtemtan. i Conductors: J. CrawfoTd, X. Read, A. ■■ STAuky, A. Dean, J. Fiddcs. W. Steele, J. Duncan, A. Berhtnd, B. Reid, A. Lindsav, W. Mackenzie, T. Egley, F. M'Donald, J. Fitepatrick. W. Wafls, J. Sturgeon, F. France, J. Cowan, W. Robertson. J. Parian, W. Miller, D. M'Kenzie, W. Rouse, W, Duff, J. Ward, T. Simms, G. Pearee, *WL Jndd, Wl fia&irefws, J. R..

mojii.-r, ia fbt- iir.si ihi.-h ~! her >!iairit\ iiad.j sought to gi\-.> her >mi a nam;; by marrying John Murray Dowie. The revelation was made at. the end of an hour's tirade against the Press of tills city, its treatment' of his work and himself "being styled a " conspiracy ■of falsehood." th< ; reporters, denounced as '• yellow dogs, poisonous reptiles, who have wrecked thousands of homes aod broken thousands of heaits." He led i up to the publication this morning of ex- j tracts of letters passing between himself i and John Murray Dowie, indicating Dowie's j denunciation of the latter as a parent, which were responsible for the General Ov-erseer's exposition of the great secret of his life. Shouting at one moment in a fit of violent rage at the newspapers, Dowie would the nex*. moment speak in the mast gentle voice of his mother and his wife. The great audience was mojzed by his--evident emotion. Women wept, aod at

times bursts of applause greeted his declarations. Dowie announced that just one year ago he had addressed a meeting hi Chicago, in which he had told of ;m attempt at blackmail by a man writing from Boston, who ciaimtd to have certain letters which hail passed between himself and John Murray Dowie. "That man wrote me," said Mr Dowie, "that the letter, if published, mijrht cause nic annoyance, and in the generosity of bis heart said that fcr l.QOOdol he would turn them over to me instead of to a Chicago newspaper. Garbled ayf^rtff;

! m? miserable scoundj-el who, m order to , strike at me, sold the letters in which I reproached him. to the vile Press of 2-Tew York." Dowie burst into invective of the bitterert type agiust tha Press for publishI ing the letters. He raged like a man crazud by tlie enormity of the injury done him, and then, as if .spent by the exertion of_ his tirade, broke down and wept. Ho ! said he was glad his wife and son were i away, so that he could bear humiliation J alone. He likened himself to David and i Solomon, but added that ho did not conJ sider ho was illegitimate. At the closa of the _ address Dowie pronounced this bene- | diction:—•' God leek down upon the irresponsible band of criminals who write tho papers and publish their lies, and hava J mercy on them. Have mercy, O God, ami j grant grace to the country, and may ifc muzzle,, ami. if need be, destroy the- aearaBapers>'

lu_a; largs part- of Londoa conditions Drovail to-day that make decent living alma: ; J inipossihle. From Kentish Town to ]NV.v Cross, and from Aldgato to West ITxm. scares of thousands of people are Ik?li>c brought up hardened to habitual pauperism and dependence. Teas of thousands ci children habitnally come to school v,-ith insufficient food. We herd people eight in a room, we inure them to hunger, •we start them, in life -with little hope of progress, and then ve wonder at the >nri. —":.*£j&a&x>