TRAM CHARGES FOR SCHOOLBOYS.

Evening Star, Issue 23725, 5 November 1940, Page 8

TRAM CHARGES FOR SCHOOLBOYS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I would like to make known a longstanding grievance of schoolboys, and it concerns tram fares. The first point is that all school children over the age of 14 are compelled to pay full fare on all trams during week-ends and after 5 p.m. during the week. Surely this is an injustice to beys and girls who are earning no wages whatsoever and are supported by their parents. Consider a boy living on the hill who plays cricket or football for his school on Saturday afternoons and has to travel to Logan Park, Tahuna Park, or King’s High School in order to play. Then consider the amount of car fare involved. Your Victorian correspondents may be here tempted to comment on the weakness of the rising generation and the fact that they used to walk everywhere in their youth. But the pace of life has considerably increased in recent years, and no one has time or opportunity to go slow, nor does a boy feel inclined to walk home after a long afternoon’s fielding or batting, especially in view of many hours of homework to be done.

The other burning question is one of concession tickets. Our city fathers have graciously granted concession tickets (at a price) to boys and girls who travel by tram to and from school, these tickets to be used only till 5 o’clock. Now, consider the truism that the youth of New Zealand is disgracefully unfit, physically; then consider that boys are released from school about 4 p.m., have forty-five minutes in which to practice cricket, football, athletics, or go for a swim; then they must dash down the hill ns quickly as possible, at the same time putting on the clothes that (hey have discarded during their sports —all to get a car before 5 o'clock. If they are unlucky enough to arrive at one minute past 5 they must pay full faro to (heir destination. The best part of (he summer day for cricket, etc , is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., yet many boys are deprived of taking full advantage of this because of the puny matter of tram fares. This state of affairs is a deficiency in our social rrdcr. The youth of to-day cannot take its full and necessary recreation because of a stupid tramway ruling. The boy who at night must visit the reference library—the boy who earns no wages, but wishes to increase his knowledge—must pay a small fortune in tram fares. If the City Council does not immediately amend tramway rules to allow all school children (no age limit) to travel on all cars for a penny per -journey, it will show that it is not in the least interested in furthering the interests and increasing the physical standard of the youth of its own community, and that, it is exploiting schoolboys just to increase the tramway coffers, There is no justification at all for the state of affairs which I have mentioned, and I defy anyone to give one reason why tho present action of the City Council in the above matter should continue.—l am, etc., T/Ecoi.tkr. November S.