MORE TRAMS NEEDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18340, 5 March 1923, Page 9

MORE TRAMS NEEDED.

- «. ; r SERVICES INADEQUATE.

TRIALS OF SUBURBANITES.

IMPROVEMENTS OVERDUE.

Thousands of Aucklanders who travel daily to and from the city by the electric trams will be interested and relieved to learn of the plan for improvements to the existing system as outlined by the Mayor, Mr. J- H. Gunson. During the past few years the suburban population of Auckland has increased to a remarkablo degree, imposing a very severe strain on all facilities for transport. The difficulties of the war years admittedly made it a very hard matter for the authorities to deal with this greatlyincreased traffic. The trials and tribulations cf war are now four years behind, however, arid many suburban citizens are distinctly of opinion that their daily trip to and from the city is more a matter of comfort or convenience than it was in veais one by. ' The man or woman who, for example, •stands at a suburban tram stop with just 'sufficient time to catch a steamer or train, and sees three crowded cars dash by with chains up and gongs banging, is not particularly consoled by a reminder that the war made it very hard for the Tramway Company to gel the material* to build new cars. The victim would naturally want to know why a set of conditions enforced upon the world almost a decade aK o should be permitted to inconvenience and annoy citizens, and obstruct the normal development of a prosperous city, four year* after that set of conditions had cpt&ed to exist. He would not put it in just those words—situations such as those described are usually summed up very tersely and forciblybut that would be tho trend of his argument.

No Quarter for Weaker Sex. Exactly the same thing applies to the ■woman who has her bat knocked over her eyes and her new shoes trampled upon without merer in the scrum that often takes place when a theatre crowd is homeward bound. It applies also to tho tired working girl who, having secured "right of entry" through sheer physical agility, has to bang on to a leathern strap, worn black and shiny by the accumulated gripping power of a thousand perspiring hands of honest toiL If she is short, and somehow the majority of . Auckland's business girls are distinctly on the short side, she will have to strain upwards for her support in a manner very upsetting to any woman's blouse and skirt.

Short or tall, a woman in liable at any moment to be landed in the lap of some fortunate individual of superior pushing power as the car swings dizzily round one of our hairpin curves, or when it starts off with a sudden jerk after a brief respite. In such moments of embarrassment, both the sitter and the sat-on may be pardoned if they pass unflattering comments on a system which compels men and women to crowd into trams like a lot of sheep in a cattle truck. It is quite true that if they were not in such a hurry to get home, if they would only behave nicely, and stand around in the street for 10 or 15 minutes, they would get a car in which they might secure- a ssat. But standing ic very tiring for weary feet, and the changes are that the superior footwork and elbowing powers of another crowd of hefty pushers might once . more leave them out in the cold.

Worries! of Jiemuera Residents, Another point which causes much adverse comment is the infrequent running of cars on certain routes, notably. the Remuera line. It would seem sometimes as though the present service were based on some strange idea that private motor traffic in this district has rendered anything further in the way of transport facilities rather superfluous. Such a supposition is nothing short of lamentable. It is probsble that more people are left with cooling heels and rising tempers on the Remuera' line than on any other. It is a common thing for intending passengers to walk back two or more blocks at the busy hours, and on Sunday afternoons, in order to stand some kind of chanci? of getting on a car. The trials of "east of Newmarket" residents at five o'clock, their vain sprints up and down Customs Street in order to waylay an approaching car, or to catch up with it when it has dashed merrily past, must have introduced a note of bitterness into many it happy family dinner party. The Sunday service holds for many people an additional touch of aggravation, by reason of the fact that there are no i through cars via Parnell. With car-fares .at the present scale, a social afternoon visit between residents of, say, Market Road and St. Stephen's Avenue, would total quite a respectable sum, while Remuera church-goers who wish to attend service at St. Mary's Cathedral are also put to the inconvenience and expense of a transfer at Newmarket.

Looking to the Future. These are only a few points upon which the lac mind often dwells with resignalion or exasperation. Individual experience will doubtless ruggeat several more. The whole truth is, of course, that, despite all that has been done to improve the service—and several important improvements have been made— still fails to meet the needs of the people. While making full allowances for ail the difficulties which have had to be Met, and giving full credit for all good intentions for the future, the layman judges things as he finds them, and so far as Auckland trams are concerned, he has found them pretty well the same for too many years past. He is now looking forward with renewed hopo and joy to the' fulfilment of the policy of improvement which the authorities have lately foreshadowed.