HIGHER TEAM FARES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17456, 28 April 1920, Page 7

HIGHER TEAM FARES.

DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL.

POSTPONEMENT OF DECISION.'

THE OFFER TO THE MEN.

A special meeting of the City Council was he'd last evening to discuss the matter of the increase in tramway fares already decided upon as being unavoidable in order to enable higher wages to be paid to the employees of the undertaking. The Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, presided. 'I he council went into committee for consideration of the question, and after two hours' deliberation adjourned in committee,' without having come to a definite decision, until to-morrow evening. It was decided to notify the local bodies concerned that the council would not be able to communicate to them its proposals in the matter until Friday. The.intention is to ask the local bodies to thereupon arrange for special meetings to discuss the proposals and notify the council as to their acceptance thereof or otherwise.

As regards the council's negotiations with the tramway men, the Mavor stated after the meeting that he had every reason to believe the offer made to the union would be definitely accepted this week, as it was a fair and equitable one. The question of the proposed increase in tram fares was briefly discussed at a meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board last evening. The opinion expressed bv members was that in view of the statement made by the Mayor of Auckland at last week's conference an increase in fares was unavoidable. The board's duty to the residents of the district, it was felt, would he to see that the fares were not increased beyond a reasonable extent. It was decided to defer further discussion until the receipt of the City Council's proposals.