AN INADEQUATE SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17295, 20 October 1919, Page 4

AN INADEQUATE SERVICE.

> Sir, The public of Auckland are in- ' debted to you for a couple of articles on ' the failure of the City Council to rise , to the occasion and give them a service ; that -will carry them at all times. The trouble is at its worst in Queen Street | between five and six o'clock, hut it is not by any manner of means confined to that locality or time. The Onehunga cars are, as a rule, of very little use to Epsom i people, and morning, afternoon, and evening, week days and Sundays, they pass down and up the Manukau Road for long stretches with the notice up, "No passenger need apply." Doubtless it is the same all over the system. What happens when people fail to board the cars where they would like to? Why, in most cases they walk on, and the council loses revenue. Have those responsible for the running of the trams any idea of the amount of money lost in this way? Also, people, after a little experience of the difficulty and discomfort of using the system, get into the habit of staying at home unless they are compelled to travel. In Christchurch the Tramway Board laid themselves out to foster the " car habit," and they succeeded. Here the object seems to have been the encourage- ■ ment of " pedestiianism," with equal success. Though I used the Christchurch cars for a period of 12 or 13 years, 1 never once saw anyone who wanted' vo travel left behind, except as th e result of a breakdown or in consequence of holiday traffic. In the southern city, too, owing to the enormous number of bicycles in use, the trams on wet days are called upon to cope with a tremendous access of traffic, yet they are invariably equal to the occasion. Tlie council has only had the Auckland system for a few months, and we must not expect wonders to be done in that time. Are they doing anything at all, however, or is it merely a nominal change, with the management as before? The increased traffic may be re>ied on to pay for the cost of extra cars or trailers, and the sooner the council recognises that its duty is to give th*; citizens an adequate service the better. If they cannot do this, a tramway board should be elected and the people" should see to it that only those who do not know the word " can't" shall get a place on it. Efficiency.