THE TRAMWAYS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15900, 11 April 1912, Page 8

THE TRAMWAYS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It is satisfactory to note that in tho report on the financial position of tho Tramway Board, and during the debate on tho report, although the most has been made out of the three farthings an hour increase on the minimum wages awarded by the Arbitration Court to the organised section of the tramway employees, no suggestion is \ made that the service received from tho employees is less. It is not an uncommon dictum for opponents of organised labour to lay down that as j wages increase the product of tho worker decreases, or tho service rendered lessens. That such a charge has not been made in this instance I will not put down to policy, but to a just admission that in this case, at any rate, no such tiling has happened. We can all agree that “ the chairman deserves credit for his courage in attacking the position,” particularly as tho report contains the admission that tho management is greatly to blame for the present position. As a method of getting back to a sound position, a liberal use of the pruning knife is suggested. The pruning knife is a very useful tool in skilful bands, but, I would imagine, dangerous in the hands of those who would seem, by their own report, to bo rather unskilful As they threaten to swing the knifo in my direction, I would ask them to be a little more, cautious with this experiment than they show themselves to have been with'others. They admit that tho Sumner line is not one of the worst-paying, yet they suggest certain alterations that mean a considerable inconvenience to the permanent residents and. that may tend to reduce the cash returns from holiday-makers. I submit, with all duo deference to the present managers of our tramways, that the policy with regard to our seaside terminals should be such as would encourage permanent residents in both places. As any reasons given on the head of public health would all be in favour of the seasido terminals, I null content myself with merely drawing attention to it and to the fact tiiat very many persons find it absolutely necessary to reside at tho seaside for health reasons, although the doing so is almost too great a strain on their income. With respect to tho financial side of the question, which rightly or wrongly is the only one dealt with by tho Board, a mistake is made in dealing with direct returns only from the bimonthly tickets. Commonsenso ought to teach the mombers or the Board that there are indirect returns; that every permanent resident has his personal friends who visit him from various parts of the city. The revenue from this source cannot be estimated, but all residents know that it must be considerable. Furthermore the bimonthly ticket only represents those members of a family who travel to business daily; that might be one out of four or it might be throe out of four. I am inclined to think from what I know of Sumner and Rcdcliffs that a fair average left at homo would he two adults. The majority will take advantage of the sixpenny trip when visiting their friends in Christchurch or doing their shopping. It is suggested that this ticket should be discontinued. In short the Board intend to raise the tax on tho residents of Sumner. who are necessary if it was for nothing else but being there to pay for the upkeep of the roads and to pay for the cleaning up of the place after tho summer visitor, an expense it is well to mention, although it is not borne grudgingly. It is admitted that this Sumner service, taken as a whole, is a paying one. Yet it is considered necessary to use tho pruning knifo. I would suggest that they put it down before they come to Sumner as there is a danger of damage being done that will tako many years growth to repair. Tho business of the Tramway Board is to encourage residence in a growing terminal like Sumner. At the present time sixteen buildings are being erected at an estimated first cost of £9317.

During the year ended Al{U'di 81, 1912, ninety-one permits for dwellings wero issued, the estimated value being £27,520. Put this against a little over £12,000 for the preceding year and we have an idea of the manner in which the population is increasing in Sumner Borough. The promiscuous slashing with the pruning knife will have a tendency to check this growth. The question with our tramway managers should be, how can we assist this growth ? And this question should be put not only witli the view of increasing their income on this line, but having in mind the, for health reasons, encouraging of people to reside in places conducive to good health. But I purposed leaving the argument on the score of health alone.

To keep to tho financial, tho Board might with advantage take a loaf ovit of the old company’s book. Tho old company, it will be remembered, . encouraged seaside evening excursions. It paid for bands to play at Sumner, and it would seem as if it found it a good investment. The way the present Board discourages evening trips to the seaside would load one to suspect that tho members had some intorest in the picture show companies. Now the Board will raise' (it says). tho day excursion faro from sixpence to ninepence. I must confess I have always found great pleasure ill merely looking at the passing cars loaded with, for tho most part, women and children en route for the Sumner beach. A check has to he put to this, the fare has to lie raised to nineponce, and T presume the faro for the children will be increased correspondingly- Is this a. wise use of the pruning knife P . The following statement is credited to Air Booth:—“As a- matter of business, it was wrong that passengers should ho carried at below cost. Is ho quite sure that passengers are being carried from Sumner below cost, considering that there is an indirect income to add to tho direct income received from the bi-monthly tickets? Ts it had business to give away certam articles below cost if by doing so the sales in other articles would he increased sufficiently to more than make up the amount of the reduction? Ir it- is bad business, it is dono by every successful 0 £IOOO for advertisements referred to is money given away witli the obiect- of increasing business. Wo may excuse Mr Booth, seeing he is a manufacturer and not a. retailer, and yet manv manufacturers send sample lots freo with the object of creating a trade. lionin or that the increased demand will remv thorn- At, tho present moment the throat to use the pruning _ knife , ’a„mner wav is causing residents Seriously consider the question of re--10 Tt is not to their interest, a ' point of view of health, that ' r ciionld do so; it is not to the r nrd’s interest that one family should 1 °"ve But do they know what is in

the financial interest cf our tramway management, or do they not?—l am, etc., JOHN BARR. Rcdcliffs, April 8.