SAFETY ON TRAMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17880, 7 September 1921, Page 8

SAFETY ON TRAMS.

NEED FOR REGULATIONS.

MEN URGE EXPEDITION.

MINISTER PROMISES TO ACT.

REMOVING A "NIGHTMARE."

fBT TELEGRAPH.—OWN

WELLINGTON. Tuesday

A deputation from the Tramway Employees' Federation waited on the Minister for Publv Works, Hon. J. G. Coates, to-day U> request that the issue of the tramway regulations should be expedited.

Mr. A. L. Monteith, secretary of »-he federation, said the Act was passed in 1911, but the regulations had not yet been brought into operation. Accidents had happened to tramway employees and also to the travelling public, which the federation contended would have been prevented by the regulation*. He himseif had attended half-a.-doaen inquests, which he believed should never have been necessary, and would not have been if the regulations had been given effect to. Some time aj:o they had been led to hope that the regulations would be gazetted in a lew weeks, bufc nothing had happened, and they wished now to hear some definite statement. The regulations were actually printed some seven or eight yours ago, and with the electrical developments In that time must now require amendment. Continuing, Mr. Monteith emphasised the present need for the regulations. Overcrowding i n Wellington and other places wm scandalous. The federation had decided to ask for standard sand gear oa cars, and for better gongs in some centres. As to overcrowding, the regula taons in draft form provided for an allowance of 60 per cent, above the seating accomniiodation.

Mr. Coat as said that in the Act the allowance era* '75 per cent.

Mr. Miv.u»ith considered 50 per cent, would aV Se reasonable with the narrow type of ..-ar in use in Wellington, though fas did not know whetler it would be woirso tha,, the existing conditions.

e '*3o Sides to Question. The Minir-cev said he agreed that it was very diffirr't fjr conductors to do their work in o*- "xavwdsd cars, but there was the cither udu of the case. s Could the tramway authorhYee iaance the extra coai, power, and equipment nocessarv to reduce overcrowdinnf Had the federation considered that?

Mr. MoateitL said the federation had considered it fully. The tramway authorities had had 11 years to make preparations. r

Tbo Minister said it must be remembered that all the concerns had not been profitable. Mr. Monteith said, so far as power was concerned, there was only one authority that had been tn a difficulty, and that authority had discontinued the erection o* an extra boiler, as it had sufficient power The Minister remarked thai, considerin? the last Wellington statements for example, it could be seen that there was not too much money for capital expenditure.

Mr. replied that since uhe original''loan to establish the trams here the improvements had been made out of revenue.

Prepared to Meet AntnoriSlea. The Minister said he was only puttini forward the case as it might be stated hy the other side. Assuming it to be the position that works could not be carried out at once, would the federation be prepared to meet the authorities for a year or two? Mr. Monteith replied that they would. Mr. C. Hobbs, president of the federation, emphasising the need for the regulations, said the Davey clause was passed by Parliament *o as to ensure that a conductor should have a clear passage through the car to the brakes at the rear. The effect of that clause was nnlli. fied now by the overcrowding that wsa permitted. Mr. Monteith said the federation realised that everything that wa* inquired could not be done in five minutes, but it was contended that the department had not mad a an effort to compel more to be done. Wellington, for example, could put 12 new cars on the line each year, but he doubted if half that number were beinß built. It was only now that Wellington proposed to build 24 cars out of loan money. The federation asked now either that the regulations should be gatetted at. once or that there should be * conference of the federation with the tramway authorities. A conference was preferred, as it would enable many points in dispute to be settled. It was not respected that everything could be settled by agreement, but what could not be agreed upon could be decided by some person appointed by the Minister. Mr. H. T. Armstronß (Cnrist-hurcl) spoke of the urgency of the regulations from the Christchurcb point of view. Mr; Etobts said the question of cost had been mentioned, but the federation was more concerned with the safety of the public and of tramway employees.

Ability to Finance Additions. The Master said it was not a question of cost, but of ability to finance additions to plant at the present time. Mr Hobbf< said it was felt that more could "have been done in Wellington than h&tl been done to prepare for the regulations. If the regulations were now gazetted there were some that could he made operative at once without undue hardship and reasonable time fof- the operation of others could be considered. The Minister faid a great deal bad been done since the last conference. The regulations had been to the Crown Law Office and also to every district engineer in New Zealand, and the engineers had interviewed not only the tramway authorities bi;t also the representatives of the employees. The regulations could now be issued at once or a conference could be called to consider them before they were gazetted. After further disonsnion the Minister agreed to have copies of the proposed regulations printed and circulated to the tramway authorities and the federat'on, and then to call a conference of both sides in about a fortnight's time. " I want to try to get this nightmare out of the way before Parliament meets," said the Minister.