THE DAVEY CLAUSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15773, 14 November 1911, Page 4

THE DAVEY CLAUSE.

FOOTBOARDS AND CENTRE POLES. THE CONDUCTOR'S NIGHTMARE. ,Mr T. H. Davey, M.P., the author of the Davoy Clause of this year's Tramways Act, which provides that all cars built after next January shall have a centre passage for the collecting of fares, had a few; words to say last night in defence of his clause.

Mr Davey remarked that he had made himself rather notorious with his clause. However, it was needed. Twice he had seen conductors knocked off tho footboard by a centre pole. On Papanui Road, during a sou -wester, tho screens were drawn, and the conductors had to collect from_ the same side as the centre poles. His proposal would do away with that. It had been strongly opposed by the Mayor of Wellington, and eventually the clause had been modified to apply only to now. cars built after next January. Member after member in both Houses had praised the clause for its humane proposals, and in proof of its necessity he had a list of twenty-four Wellington conductors who had been knocked off the footboard by passing vehicles. Mr Davey referred to Mr G. T. Booth's reference to the footboard danger ds inherent, and said that it was conclusive P r °of of tho need for a change, yofc the Tramway Board, perhaps in good faith, had opposed the clause to avoid expense. Tho Wellington engineer had said that it would cost £61,000 to convert the cars, but he did hot believe that all the rolling stock in Wellington was worth that much. He had thrown out a challenge to convert the cars for £SO apiece; but anyhow it was better to pay the monev and avoid claims for compensation from ' widows. His clause was in the right direction, and he would sooner place human life before a little extra expense. (Applause.) Several conductors in Wellington had told him that the dread 1 of collecting fares from the footboard on a dirty night was a constant nightmare.