THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 12927, 25 September 1906, Page 1

THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Although it seems a waste of time to try to point out the errors in our present tramway system, it is to be hoped that some of the councillors will try to improve- matters in the near future. To make the cars pay the people ought to bo encouraged to ride in them. In my opinion the Council are doing their best to keep people out of them by putting everybody to as much inconvenience as possible. The introduction of the coupon system has been tlie latest piece of humbug, "the idea being, I suppose,, to try and";ccropol:tlie°'pubJic topay cash. ■"' People cannot be always running into shops to buy tram tokens. The consequence is that the. conductors are. put to twice as much trouble as formerly, having to change shillings,- Half-crowns, etc., for a penny ride. Most people, when they could get. a shilling ticket from the conductor would db'so; now they have to pay their penny as thev go. As regards the collecting of fares after every penny section, where the benefit of this comes in 1 cannot see. The conductor now has far more trouble in getting all his fares collected than he liad formerly, and the passenger has just as much chance of getting double his ride .for one pennv. For when the car is crowded, at the end of a penny section, it takes the conductor five or six minutes to get from one end to the other, and in the meantime many who have got in on the previous section, and only paid one penny, may have alighted without paying any more. These, people, under'tho old style, would have paid for their two sections at once, and it would have been unnecessary for the conductor to trouble them again, and his attention could have been directed solely to those who got in afterwards. I think it is a lot of nonsenso that a p;ww>nger cannot pay his full faro at. once, instead of being bothered again ai;d again if he Ls going any distance. If vou travel on tho other cars or by. rail,- yotThaw. only to pay your faro once, so why not follow the same rule on our precious electric cars? I would like to mention the way in winch some of the cars run at mid-day. I have noticed that at twelve o'clock there are numbers of people waiting' for the car at Frederick street,, and when tho first car comes along it is usually packed; a little while afterwards two or three cars arrivb almost empty. 'This could be remedied by ono of the cars mentioned being timed to leave the Post. Offieo to reach Frederick street by twelve o'clock, or just after. There are a number of people wlio leave for lunch a littlo before the hour, and who would patronise tliis caf. instead of helping to crowd out the one arriving later. There is also room for much improvement in connection with" cars running from the south and, those, running to the north after ten o'clock at night. Is it .right that a passenger travelling from St.s Hilda or Caversham, and wanting to go right through, should just get to the Post Office in tune to see the north end car up Princes, street? Such, nevertheless, is the excellent way they have of running tho cars to suit nobody. One Saturday night recently I boarded a car at Ogg's Corner, intending to catch a north end car if possible at the Post Office. I had the pleasure of ljearing, however, that my car. had just started, and the next one didn't go for'fifteen minutes A fellow-passenger, who was also going north, informed me that ho very rarely managed to catch a north end car, and usually walked the next section. As he put it, he was compelled to save one penny by the present running of the trams. In conclusion, • I may say that last Saturday evening I walked from Duke street corner to near St. Andrew street without a car overtaking me, and then two passed within 100 yds of each other—tlie first one packed, of course. This was about 7.30.—1 am, et c- Old House Cab. September 24. ...