TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18439, 19 June 1920, Page 9

TRAMWAY MANAGEMENT.

TO THK KDITOR. Sir,—! wish to draw attention to the gross mismanagement by the Tramway Board of the traffic on the New Brighton line. On Saturday last the officials of the board arranged an ambush on the 12.10 p.m. tram, to trap the people who boarded the car while it was in motion. Thanks to the clandestine manner in which these officials hid themselves, quite a large number of intending passengers fell victims, with the result that their names and addresses were taken. Sir, I maintain that the Tramway Board is wholly to blame for this rushing of the cars, in that it does not supply sufficient seating accommodation, thereby offering a direct incentive to break the by-law. Of course, the opinion of a mere lavman should not bo jilted against that of fhe highly-paid management, otherwise it would be paradoxical that there is even less accommodation provided for wet weather traffic than for fine, inasmuch as the top decks of old trailers are unavailable on these occasions. About a month ago the chairman of the board (Hon J. Barr) stated that it was tho board's policy to encourage the people to live in suburban districts, and I would suggest that it put its precepts into practice. Yet another instance of these absurd actions which are peculiar to the board. On five days in tho week throe cars and five trailers leave New Brighton at 8.26 a.m., but for somo unknown reason on Saturdays there are onlv two cars and three trailers—the condition of affairs on This trip is obvious. In conclusion, I thirds it is quite",tirno that the Tramway Board and somo of its officials realised that their work is to servo the interests of the public—not vice versa —I am, etc., J.O.P. (Tho General Manager says that there was no clandestine conduct on the part of tramway officials; that, despite warnings, tho number of. accidents through passengers boarding moving cars is increasing; that tho by-laws dealing therewith are made in the interests of the offenders themselves; that, with respect to the trips in connection with which the action objected to by our correspondent was taken, complaints had been received of passengers being knocked down in the rush; that there is adequate accommodation on these trips; and that fewer cars are provided at 8.26 a.m. from New Brighton on Saturday mornings, beca'iise fewer passengers travel at that time of day than any other week days, and that the is sufficient for the traffic Curing—Ed. "L.T.")