THE FEELING IN OTHER CENTRES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7852, 14 July 1911, Page 8

THE FEELING IN OTHER CENTRES

“NO CAUSE FOR ALARM.” . TRESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH. July 13. "I cannot conceive it possible, ’ declared tbe Mayor to-day, when speaking to a reporter on the subject of the proposed new tramway regulations, ‘that the Government is going to prohibit any passengers from being carried in cars ; for whom seats cannot be provided. I 1 Was one of the additional members, with I Mr Noswortby, on tho committee to consider the Tramways Bill last session, and throughout tho whole of tho inquiry the Minister gave Hie. committee to understand that over-loading would be permitted to a reasonable degree I think that the alarm tlrat is being expressed by tho Mayor of Wellington will bo found to bo quite groundless. If overloading is to bo allowed, so long as it does not interfere with the conductors duties, then it appears to me a very big margin is provided for, and any revenues of tramway boards should not bo seriously affected. I believe that in actual operation tho new regulations will probably be found to work fairly well, and it seems to me tho veriest nonsense for anyone to think tho Government dare manipulate tho Tramways Act so as to force tbe municipalities to band over their property to the general Government. Such a tiring is not thinkable. Mr Taylor adds that a copy of tho suggosted regulations had been sent to the City Council marked "confidential,” and the council was now in correspondence with the Tramway Board on the matter for the purpose of mutually ascertaining what would be tho probable effect of tho proposed regulations if actually in opera, tion. Although, of course, tho council had no control over the Tramway Board probably a joint protest would bo made aud correspondence would be sent on to the Government by tho council as well as by the board. "Tho creation of a Court of Appeal in last year’s Bill,” added Mr Taylor, "is just as unlikely to result in any practical injure as the regulations that are now alarming the city of Wellington.” OPPOSITION IN OTAGO. DUNEDIN, July 13. At a meeting of representatives of Dunedin City Council, Mornington Council, Kaikorai Tram Company, and Eoslyn Tram Company, it was resolved to send delegates to AVcllington to attend the conference to be held there for the purpose of making united opposition to tho new regulations. FEELING IN SOUTHLAND. INVERCARGILL, July 13. In connection with protests from other centres regarding tho tramway regulations tho Mayor, Mr Ott, to-night stated that tho Invercargill Council strongly protested against the proposed regulations. Tho council felt very strongly that the control of the trams should be in their own hands, seeing they were spending their own and not the Government's money. Tbe engineer had stated that no municipal tramway system in New Zealand could possibly pay if the regulations affecting crush hours were carried into effect. It seems to bo the general feeling amongst councillors that legislation by Government regulation is strongly to bo deprecated. The tramway engineer has boon appointed to attend the Tramway Conference at Wellington to discuss the position.