THE THREEPENNY TRAM FARE.

Evening Star, Issue 12883, 4 August 1906, Page 2

THE THREEPENNY TRAM FARE.

A CHECK UPON TRAFFIC. r;. ! A GRIEVANCE WTTH THEPUBLIC. AND BEYOND THE PEOPLE'S-MEANS. For a tram ride to Tahuna, to St. Clair, to Normahbjs -or to Anderson Bay one his to pay threepence. So the residents in those places do not ride all the way unless compelled ltd. Through fares are not paid in fine weather by active persons. They prefer to start a few minutes earlier and walk one, two, and sometimes the whole three sections. Why?

For two reasons. First,, they cannot afford to pay threepence. Second, they regard this fare as unjust, and, resenting the grievance, do what they can to keep the pennies out of the Corporation's inconie; Persons wh6 live in of nearthe heart of the City, and only use the trams for pleasure at odd times, do not, perhaps, realise the truth of ; the first of these two reasons. Threepence is a small sum, they 6ay, and cheap enough, surely, for a run of nearly three miles. : That is how the matter stands in the thoughts of persons who merely view the position as onlookers, ihey may even go the length of contrasting the present threepenny fare with the varying charges that used "to ho made by cabmen, and in that way arrive at the conclusion that threepence is che.' p. But that is not the proposition as it comes to our people. If ft were, the argument could be wrested so as to prove that a shitxino would be a low fare to a terminus, for we have known a cabman ask 15s to drive a man.to St. Clair. The passenger was a new arrival, arid he looked green, and the cabby thought he had struck a patch—until Mr Newchum undeceived him. These ancient exto-tios are nothing but jokes nowadays, and useless for the purposes of sober argumont. Our statement, is that the people'cannot afford to pay threepence. And this is ei*y of demonstration. Test it bv the ordinary case of a family of four persons over twelve years and a. couple of children. « j ,s and frenuently compelled to go into work of an evening. Say that he goes back three nighte in the week His tram fares, to and from business, for a week, come to 4s 6d. . He surely may be allowed to go home for lunch; if so, add 3s. These outgoings total 7s 6d a week for father. Then there will be one of the sons in employment. Take it that this young Fellow needs not to work at r^ght—his tram fares come to 6s per week. bor the daujrhter who earns mavbe £1 a week we will grant the same allowance. As she. .receives over 10s a wek wntres she does not g"t the benefit of the factory girls concession. Thus we show a total for father, son, and daughter of 19s 6d a. week ,n tram, fame. Then the mother may be sometimes permitted to go to town. Uive her two trips a week., and the total for the family, exclusive of the two children (for whom odd ppnnies are paid) and counting nothing at all for evening fares to go to amusements and pny calls, or for going to church, reaches £1 0s 6d for a week. •

Is this an abnormal family? T s the .catalogue of tram expenses unusual' There are many for trams would be considerably higber-if everybody made it a, practice to ride. But they don't, because uev canf,°l'i a iw to "' T « mTISt ** a w*ll-t<Mlo fam ly that can afford to spend over £1 a week m tram fares.

*ow, perhaps, the gentlemen who manage our tramways will understand how it residents at or near the termini nde one section, and th«n jump out and dtittw 8 on **««#* *** able and typTcal. Tf we chow to take extreme, they could fmnv] Fe» ,s ore—tbp case of a man ard Jrs wife ard «. .child who rrrfe: freely llTlt n »n w,o,*-,wd turn by the d? S that pirJ;?' ■**"#*» gnine; *,Z- k l 1u fpw TWre tt te* s ™«nw*» on the ' £ e u- th t Bnnr ' TO «* *'Wban Z°f b *™-" J whnt thev do about town, the whole wav, and if tired after the nay I may ride one section on the way home.' No 2: "The fares for my household . wonld come to lss a ™#k if we patronised the trams, so wo walk all we can and bring the expense down to an avenure of 6s " No. "I.bought a bike, and never bother the trams at all if' the weather is decent." No. 4: "My earnings have averaged about 15s a wwjjc the last five years, and I eke out a shillingeworth of tickets for a week, but I've only been htms to lunch twice all that time. I take a sandwich with me." No. 5 : "My troubles on the trams. They look pretty— I see that as they dash past me—and they're nice enough. to hoist about to the people of other places, but for, my use the old horse cars were better." No. 6: "I just use them on wet days." No. 1: "We couldn't stand it any longer, eo wo took another house nearer town." No. 8: "I find it ever so much cheaper to u»e the trains from Caversham." No. 9: "I am thankful for the new arrangement. When we had the horse trams J took a season ticket and rode, and every week or two I was using physic. Now I make it a rule to walk, and am twice the man. Pinch my legs—hard as wood, aren't they?" If further evidence is wanted it r*i be got readily. We invite the members of the City Council to play the part of Didymus. If they go so far, and then make inquiries upon their own account, they will discover that there is a wicj&pread feeling of injustice as to this matter of termini fares. Perhaps then we may '."hope for a remedy. The mention of Didymus suggests conversion. The apostle referred to found proof, accepted it, and believed. If there are among our Dunedin twelve—no, by the way, we should say our eighteen—any who are now sceptical as to what is here put forward as the truth, it must be because they have not nor taken any pains to know what 16 going on. A good station for any such would be the Botanical Gardens or the Forbury road corner. At either place, as the end of a section, the public may be seen walking and the trams practically empty. Is there any record of these things? Do the Tramways Committee- know about them? >

Here we end for the present. Further consideration in the same direction will appear in these columns till the case is iuily stated. This is only a bit of it.