The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1918.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4816, 13 March 1918, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1918.

The debate at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council on the tramways system was of a most interesting character. It will be agreed that if the decision that was reached is allowed to stand the fate of the. battery system in this town is sealed. In other words: what is bound to happen in such an event is that the system will in due course be found to be worn out and the cars, if not the line as well, will end up on the scrap heap. What puzzles this journal is the fact that the “City Fathers”—or rather a slender majority of the members of that body—shmdd have waited so long in making their death-dealing attack on the system in vogue here. If the position is that the system is really not worth while persevering with, what has happened so recently to. justify the successful attack that has now been made upon it? We think that the ratepayers are entitled to a lot more information on this important point. This journal can criticise the actions of the “City Fathers” in this regard because it has always regarded the system as nothing more nor less than a huge experiment. In a nutshell the position is that successive Councils have simply played with the system. ■ Surely it is not necessary, to emphasise the fact that no system of such small length could be made profitable. Up till now the “City Fathers” have, it will be agreed, deceived the ratepayers in connection with the matter. They have gone on with two extensions of the system, and one of these extensions is not yet in

Death Knell of' Tramway System.

use They have added another car to the equipment of the system, and even opponents must admit that it has proved to have been a much betI tor vehicle than its predecessors. But that is not all. A fourth car has been placed on order, and before it has had time to reach Gisborne \ the “City Fathers” bv a bare majority have decided to sell all the spare rails and set their face against further extensions to the system. Wno v. ill say that business-like qualities have been displayed in dealing with the problem in the past if the latest decision be right and proper? As far as wc can gather, the real iacts of the matter are that a majority ot the Councillors have now become seized with the possibilities of great loss in connection with the system. Their argument may be: Bet a late than never!” What has unquestionably happened is that the excessive wear and tear that has lately come into evidence has immensely alarmed the members of the Council. It is an extraordinary condition of things that the it} Fathers” did not long ago make themselves acquainted with the act-. ual loss that has been resulting Thev may say that they were trus.iim'to the extensions that have been can-ied out to give sufficient additional revenue to make up the defleiency. But there was no reasonable ground for the belief that the slight j extensions that have been undertaken would mako the system profitable. If when the Council authorised the expenditure on the latest section and on the new car it was not intended to still further add to the length of route then that expenditure, wc hold, was quite, inexcusable. The reply may he made that the old cars have long since begun to show signs of stress. Let that he as it mav, the fact remains that a prudent Council would have contented'itself in such circumstances with securing only one extra car and with refitting the old cars. The “City Fathers” have erred and erred otavelv. If the battery system in their opinion is a failure here they should long ago have abandoned it. Instead in a half-hearted manner thev have set about to-extend the system, only now to decide by the narrowest of margins to allow it to die r, natural death. What is going to happen if the majority of the “City Fathers” have their sweet tt - a v.* The spare rails will he sold, and, when the new extension is in use. there will he only a total length of line of about two miles with two badly-worn cars and two new cars to carry out a service. Vve do not believe that the overhead system will he installed here for many a long day. It would appear, therefore, that all the ratepayers are going j to get from the present system that j has cost so much is a service that ■ could have been greatly surpassed by i the expenditure of a til 1 smaller sum . ijt motor Hmses and such venicles • could have been made nice generally ; useful. The Mayor should supple- j meat his tramways policy. He should say whether it is intended to purchase 'buses with the moneys derived from the sale of • the spare rails. If it he so he should- also say . whether he would he prepared to , dispose of the new car that is on j order to further the ’bus project. ! What- has to be guarded against is | a continuance of a halting policy, j Nobody wants to see the moneys secured by the sale of the rails simply placed at a low rate of interest, resulting in further loss v to the Borough under this particular heading. Wne ratepayers must he provided j with greater facilities for moving about from cue portion of the town to another. It is especially necessary that a much, more satisfactory reason should he advanced for selling these spare rails and in this way sealing the fate of a system in regard to which the “City Fathers,” by the recent further heavy expenditure which they have authorised, have so flagrantly misled the public into the belief that it was intended >. that it should he greatly extended.