MOTOR-BUS PROBLEMS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6315, 16 September 1907, Page 9

MOTOR-BUS PROBLEMS

(From Our Own Correspondent^ LONDON. July 26._ Most visitors to London exclaim, with mingled feelings of admiration and die* may, at the Huge motor-ousses now careering up and down our streets They travel so fast, these baby ironclads ; they add so much to the din of the traffic; their fumes are so pungent and penetrating—in short, their advantages and drawbacks are very real and obvious. , They have • made London'" more habitable, and, at tho same time, they have added new terrors to London life. During the past year tne motor-buses have multiplied exceedingly, but the great majority of them are stilb a-long way from perfection as'regards smoothness and ease of running. The motor-bus companies, for their part, have com© to the conclusion that they have 1 been carrying the public far too cheaply—in many cases for as little as a'halfpenny a mile—and that the fares will have to b© raised. Only excessive competition by hastily-promot-ed concerns has prevented the charging of higher rates hitherto. The wisely managed companies can work to a profit to-day, as, for instance, the Great Eastern, which paid a 10 per cent, dividend this year, and th© Road Car Company,, the returns of which have shown a considerable and consistent increase dver last year's, trading. These examples may be cited as conclusive ’proof . that- the theory of, the motor-omnibus sound, and is appreciated, by the public; but commercial companies ore not exactly philanthropists, and they regard the returns on th© present scale of prices as incommensurate with tho great amount of capital sunk in their enterprises. The latest development is tho formation of a Loudon Passenger Traffic Conference, composed of representatives of th© railway, omnibus, and tramway concerns of London. According to tho official report, the object of the conference "is to create an organisation for mutual conference in regard ■to fares, routes, and other matters of common interest, and generally to take such action as may from tun© to time be deemed expedient to, promote tho general interests of the members thereof.” This is a polite way of hint* ting that tho public will be asked t* pay more for their ride©. The magnitude of the interests in volved In the London traffic problem will be soon from the following table, in which the total capital, including debentures of each company, is given. The share capitals of the Baker street and Waterloo, Charing Cross and Euston, and Hampstead and Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brcmpton, are not stated, as they form part of the security of the .£7,000,000 , profit-sharing note© of the Underground Electric Railways Company, and, except in the case of the Great Northern; Piccadilly, and Brompton (j£1,590,000), there is no quotation for them:—

■ ■ I-■>' • ■■■■ JS ' ■ Metropolitan Hail way— 15,980,000 Metropolitan District Bail- v way ... ■U. ~ 12,407,491 Central London ... . City and South London 3,151,000 Underground Electric Notes 1 7,000,000 Baker street and Waterloo Dobs ... ... ... ... 3a.^000 Charing Cross, Euston, and Hampstead Debs ... ... 800,000 Great Northern, Piccadilly, - and Brompton Debs... 1,200,000 Great Northern arid City ~. 2,217,000 London. United Tramways 3,341,000 London General' Omnibus ~. 1*324,000 London Road-Car ... —. 040,000 Vanguard Motor-Omnibus Thomas Tilling (Limited),-. . '550,000 Star Omnibus - 232,000 Total * Meanwhile the pace set In . the fujjious competition amongst the motor-com-panies has bean too severe for some of them. The Pxcneor Motor Bus Company, which has’ an issued capital of j 6101,250. has decided to liquidate, and among the rest th© Associated Omnibus Company, with /a capital including debentures of .£160,000, has withdrawn its motor 'buses, .from the streets. The London Motor Omnibus' Company has found it to amalgamate with, its two subsidiaries;'the Motor Bus and the London and ' District ! Motor Bus, and; .the three are now represented by tue Vanguard Motor Omnibus Company, with a' somewhat 'inflated capital of ,£603,000 in shares and £200,000 in debentures. The Electrobus and the Alliance Motor Bus Companies are still in existence, but . they have not so far commenced business on a' commercial scale, and much the same may be said of the London Standard Motor Omnibus Company, which has not raised much more than .£30,000 hitherto.