RE TRAMWAY MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13369, 26 December 1906, Page 5

RE TRAMWAY MATTERS.

Sir,—There lias been a great outcry for tho past year or so ro tho shortage of cars and the inconvenience caused thereby to the travelling public, and 1 have been so interested in the affairs that I have followed matters very closely. Now, 1 am a constant traveller on the College Hill line, and have on occasions been struck by tho number of cars I havo noticed lying in the Ponsonby depot during the busy hours of an evening, sometimes as many' as six or ten, when hundreds of people have been put to their wit's end to get home expeditiously after a hard day's work. On one occasion I asked an official of the company why this was so, and was met with the answer that it did not pay to run specials. I maintain that each car put on the road will pay for itself and leave a profit besides, while it would give employment to a few of the spare men on tho company's books, some of whom only earn about £1 per week and some less, unless they take on wharf lumping or other casual employment. I know that as far back as three years ago an officer of the company suggested that penny-section cars should bo put on between the hours of, say, half-past seven to half-past nine a.m., twelve to two p.m., and half-past four to half-past six p.m. on tho Newton and Ponsonby lino, monds-street, and Parnoll lines—but was promptly snubbed. ft is also a common practice for Saturday night special cars to bo sent into the depot between half-past eight and nine p.m., when, in my opinion, they should be kept out till at least ten p.m. After nine p.m. it is a great struggle ~to get into a car to ride homewards, J. am well aware that a certain number of cars are at limes laid up for Ivpairs, but am satisfied that if the whole of the available cars were put 011 the road it would greatly reduce the continual outcry re the shortage of rolling stock and prevent the excessive overcrowding as we have it at- present. More cars are no doubtneeded, and so is a better svstem of traffic management. This past week I have noticed that more specials were out at the busy times, and on inquiry learned that the two principal directors were here from the Old Country. Have these specials been put out in their honour, or have they noticed the cars lying idle during the " busy time of the day? The company cannot plead shortage of hands as the cause of not having the balance of the cars out all the year round, as, according to the company's engineer's evidence given before the Arbitration Court in Dunedin lately, the company have over 50 spare motorruen anil the same number of spare conductors who are paid for the time they work only, and have to report at the respective depots at six a.m. and at two p.m., often for one hour's work per day, and more often none at all.

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