GISBORNE'S LAST TRAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20306, 13 July 1929, Page 13

GISBORNE'S LAST TRAM.

PASSING OF THE SYSTEM.,

AN UNFORTUNATE SERVICE.

MELANCHOLY PROCESSION

Gisborne's tramway service passeid away last Monday under circumstances of extreme simplicity. There was an entire lack of ceremony except for the fact that a procession of the cars, with the buses behind, proceeded from the post ofiice to the "Barn." Remarkable public interest was shown in the final rites, and a crowd of several hundred gathered near the post office. The fleet of four cars were lined up at the lower end of the main street and the buses, seven in all, were assembled in an intersecting street. Living up to the reputation which has been long alleged against them, the cars failed to leave the mark until 10 minutes after the scheduled hour. This late start, however, was really due to the anxiety of photographers to record the last scenes. Amid the clanging of bells and the tooting of motor horns, the procession moved off.

[n the leading car, piloted by the Mayor, were the majority of the Borough Council members and administrative staff, several ex-members of the council and some of the leading business men of the town.

The street was lined with crowds who watched the cars pass in amused silence, a number standing with hats raised. Further on a knot of school children had gathered, and these broke into loud cheers as each car came abreast. The Old And The New.

The procession, says the Gisborne Times, afforded a fine opportunity for citizens to contrast the old and new methods of transport. The buses, spick and span in appearance, with engines throttled down to a minimum to keep the order of the procession, glided smoothly along over the numerous bumps of Gladstone Road, pulsating with the power held in check, while the trams, owing to unevenness of the rails, slid along with a bucketing motion, reminiscent of a ship in a heavy swell. For supporters of the trams the comparison must have been odious.

Gisborne has enjoyed the privilege of occupying a unique position in the soul/h----ern hemisphere by virtue of its tram service, no other town having adopted the storage battery type which has left a lasting memory to Gisborneites in the way of an annual interest bill on some £57,554 in loan moneys. Hailed at first as the only possible transport system iior ( a town of the size, the storage battery cars, through lack of full exploitation, have proved a great extravagance to the ratepayers of the borough. Only 16 years have passed since tine first car was brought into use and now the service passes out, leaving the substantial debt mentioned previously. History of the Service. The Borough Council ol: 1909 first decided to institute a tram service and a comprehensive scheme was drawn up. This provided for 10 cars and the laying of seven miles of track. A loan of £175,000 was authorised by the ratepayers in December, 1909, , J L25,000 of this being for the tram service, on which interest and sinking fund was at the rate of per cent. Exhaustive inquiries int:> the possibilities of the different systems were made and it was finally decided to adopt the storage battery type, the absence of overhead wiring proving a powerful influence toward this decision.

Laying of track shortly commenced, and the first mile was put down in 191213. In April of 1913 tins service commenced with two cars. In 1914 the sum of £lO6l was transferred from another account to the tramways account, while, in November, 1915, a further loan of £30,000 was authorised, this being secured at a total interest and sinking fund rate of 52 per cent. Up to this period the total of loans for the tramway service was £56.061. A third car was added to the fleet, in July, 1917. and a fourth in May. 1919. From its initiation the service was handicapped by the insufficiency of cars and deficits were incurred.