TRAM RECEIPTS DOWN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20989, 28 September 1931, Page 6

TRAM RECEIPTS DOWN.

SERIOUS POSITION ARISES. BOARD TO TAKE ACTION. RUMOURS OF DISMISSALS. , WORK MAY BE RATIONED. Serious consideration to a further decline in revenue is ,being given by the Auckland Transport Board and the importance of its deliberations has so impressed the men that rumours of the impending dismissal of up to 65 of their number were current in the service over the week-end. " I know nothing of any impending dismissals," said Mr. J. A. C. Allum, chairman of the board, when the rumours were referred to him yesterday. "I do know that, although the board's financial position is basically sound, there has been a serious decline in revenue of which the board is bound to take notice. Information is being collected and the whole position is being gone into thoroughly." It is gathered that the past three or four weeks have been responsible for a steeper decline in receipts and that, if there is no sign of immediate improvement in the returns, some drastic steps to check the retrograde movement will have to be taken. Suggestions that may bo considered are a system of rationing work and the imposition of the full 10 per cent, cut authorised by the Arbitration Court in its general order. By agreement endorsed by the Court, the first £IOO of salary and the first £2 of wages paid to employees of the bop.rd were exempted from the cut for a period of three months, which expires on Wednesday. The board in committee has power to act in the matter of asking the Court for its authority to continue the partial cut. It will deal with the question tomorrow Related to the cut is the reduced scale in the prices of concession tickets, which was brought into operation on August 3, to pass on to the public the savingi effected by the lowering of wages in the service. The new scale is to have thre® months' trial, the period expiring on November 3.