THE TRAM SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13454, 3 June 1907, Page 8

THE TRAM SERVICE.

: Sir,—l have heard much of the wonders !of your tram servicethe excellent equipment and many millions of passengers—and after an absence of several years have now the privilege of personal observation of the same. : I have received a rude r shock. .The, cars are squalid, the running irregular, the; indications of destination illusory, and the] millions—well, I will give my . experience i of yesterday. I entered an Onehiinga car at the end of.Queen-street at about five; before we started a dozen or more persons were standing. Still' the car stopped frequently, more and more entered, the con- j ductor loudly proclaimed the palpable lie,! "Plenty of room further in," until the! metaphorical sardines were literally no exaggeration. I confess my astonishment was great; I would have said unbounded but for the sequel. Coming down Khyber Pass; there were indications that the excessive weight was too much for the brakes. The] conductor finding no other means of pro-] gression available had to pass along the car; by the backs of the seats. The atmosphere: was oppressive, but nearing Epsom a gentleman kindly opened a window. It turned ; out, however, that this was to allow him to: escape from the car at Owen's Road, while at Ranfurly Road he was followed through, the same unusual exit by a venerable cleric. Until now I had imagined a local cartoon of a high dignitary of the Church entering a car by the window to be a mere piece of facetiousness. I need hardly 'point out, sir, that this excessive overloading is fraught with great danger, that the dirty state of! the cars imperils public health, that this means of egress is by no means free from risk . for your acrobatic clergy, and is further a menace to foot nassengers. A few questions naturally suggest, themselves. Has the City Council no by-laws to safeguard tho public? If it has, what influences are at work to check the operation of these by: laws? Has the company no extra cars to put on at hours when the traffic becomes congested Can no means be devised to force the company to realise that it has duties to the community : other than the earning of high dividends at tho expense of public health and safety. Visitok. TO CORRESPONDENTS. H. EASTGATE.—The late Sir A. Gordon was appointed Governor of New Zealand subsequent to his appointment in Fiji.