OVERLOADED CARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11857, 8 January 1902, Page 7

OVERLOADED CARS.

'T the Police Court yesterday morning, beSore Mr. H. W. Brabant, S.M., two : tram conductors, named William Tretheway and Charles Fisher, employed by the Auckland Electric Tramway Company, were charged that on December 27 they, being guards on ' two public, .vehicles for the conveyance of , passengers, did allow more passengers to remain upon such- vehicles than they were .licensed to , carry. Defendants pleaded not guilty, and were represented by Mr. J. C. Martin. _ . Evidence in support of tho prosecution was ■ given by Constable Dart,' who deposed that at half-past six o'clock on the evening- of the ,27th ult. he noticed the two cars of which defendants had charge, coming along the Epsom Road with considerably more than their full complement of passengers. He ','.: computed the number of passengers on : Tretheway's car to be 55, and it was licensed '-. to carry only 46. _ On the other car, of which Fisher was the conductor, there were 54 passengers, it being licensed to carry, only 36. The cars, when seen by witness, were coming from the Alexandra Park, where a trotting meeting was held on that day. : -- ' , Mr. Martin said that before the cars left the park they had their full complement of passengers, and a placard, on which was inscribed "Full; passengers overcrowding this ear will be prosecuted," was posted on the car. But immediately the vehicles got into the roadway" they were rushed with men, who would not leave the car when requested to do so. He further stated that Mr. P. M. Hansen, director of the Tramway Company, had written to Commissioner Tunbridgo regarding the overcrowding of the ears, and the company had been advised by that gentleman to affix a notice with wording similar to that stated above on the cars when full, and that was the only means ha could suggest to prevent the overcrowding. . ~; t , The traffic manager of the company (William Lysaght) stated that on this particular occasion he and .the conductors had made strenuous efforts to persuade the surplus passengers to quit the car, but without avail. , His Worship deferred his decision in the j case until Thursday ..; next, stating that he understood that the principal: question he I had to decide was the meaning of tho word j "allow," in the Act. . •