SUNDAY TRAM FARES.

Evening Star, Issue 22336, 12 May 1936, Page 12

SUNDAY TRAM FARES.

TO THB EDITOR. Sir, —It is claimed by the Labour Party, both iu Parliament and in our City Council, that its policy is based on common sense; but apparently that is open to question. While the ultimate results of the Labour Government’s policy and administration remain to be seen, ive have a very clear case at our own doors of the outcome of the common sense ” policy on the part of the Tramways Committee of the City Council, of which Cr Jones is the chairman. It will be remembered that shortly after the present Labour Council was elected last May Cr Jones was instrumental in having the tramway fares on Sundays reduced. There was not at the time—and, indeed, never has been —any public demand for such reduction ; in fact, it was, and is, generally recognised that the imposition of Id surcharge for the first section was quite reasonable, considering that those tramway workers who are allotted Sunday duty receive—quite rightly—increased pay for that day, or time off. In cither case, it means increased expenditure by the department. This “ common sense ” action on the part of Cr Jones and bis Labour colleagues on the Tramways Committee is shown by the tramways manager’s report to the council to have resulted in the loss of revenue on Sunday traffic at the rate of over £1.500 a year, a position that was foretold by the tramways manager about the time the change was made. This unsatisfactory financial position is accentuated by the fact that the lessened revenue ensued despite the adventitious help afforded by the presence at St. (hair of the ill-fated sea lion, which, doubtless, was responsible for the greater part of the 23 per cent, increase iu the number of passengers carried by the trams on Sundays during the past eight months. _ The report now submitted to the council by the Tramways Committee deals, apparently, only with the amount of revenue received ; it would therefore be interesting to learn the amount of increased expenditure and the actual difference in profits for the eight months of this financial year as compared with those of last year.—l am, etc., C.B. May 12.