TRAM TROUBLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10088, 30 September 1918, Page 4

TRAM TROUBLE

OVER 39 EMPLOYEES ILL SERIOUS OVERCROWDING RB. SULTS. MINIMUM FARES TO-DAY. Saturday saw the worst examples in overcrowding yet witnessed during the tramway trouble. The wonder is thal no accidents' occurred. The scrambles for the cars and the unusully large number of people who managed tc squeeze on each car continued all day, although the condition of affairs al midday and in the evening would b< hard to equal. The service was greatly interfered with because of the fact tbal 16 conductors and one motorman re. ported sick in the morning and 16 mori tramwaymen during the afternoon. The tramway authorities had to do the best they could with the number of men ■ and the curtailed-hours at their disposal. The public and the unfortunate conductors who had to scramble fol fares bad 'to bear the brunt of the trouble. The reason for so much sickness is due probably to the severe epidemics of sickness going- through the city. Influenza is very prevalent. and conductors and xnotormen are compelled to mix with all sorts of people while on duty. Besides the service is short bl the services of a few other men, who, it is understood, have been dismissed for alleged failure to collect fares or driving their cars too slow. This fact makes tlie present trouble more serious for, if any settlement is likely to be effected the question of these men will be a sore point. Possibly some new as. pect of the trouble will arise from tha ordinary meeting of the tramways com. mittee of the City Council, which takes place to-day. The unfortunate travelling public is to be further penalised as from to-day. It has been decided that, on and after to-day a minimum fare of 2d will ba charged on all outbound cars from tbs city on the city sections between tha hours of 4.30 p.m. and 6.3£) p-m. f Monday and Friday inclusive, and-from 11.30- a.m. till 1.30 p.m. on“ Saturdays. Ordinary fares', will be charged on cars bound in the direction of Lambton station except on Karori and Wadestown cars.

Charges have been made against conductors of wilfully neglecting to collect fares. A “New Zealand Times” reporter witnessed a very conscientious conductor on tbe Brooklyn run on Saturday evening. A car was nearing the Brooklyn terminus on its run from the city, and during the last two stops quite a number of people got on the car. The reason was obvious, for at the terminus was a Targe crowd waiting to he taken down to the city by the coming car. The. passengers who got on. the car before the terminus was reached wished to make sure'of their seats. The conductor, however, had his eye out for business, and he gave the word to the-motorman to go slow till he collected the fares again. The town passengers had to pay twice over, \ and what Ivith the record number ~;bf fares collected on the way down -tbe hill the City Council must have done very well out of that particular journey. TRAMWAY OFFICIAL’S VIEWS. In reference to a statement made by Mr Mack during an electioneering speech, which was to the effect that raiway servants were paid a weekly wage of £3 6s, a City Council tramway official informed a “Times” reporter on Saturday that, given the same conditions, the corporation, .he firmly believed, would be prepared to pay its, tramway employees a minimum wage of Is 6d pier hour. “Much has been said regarding tramway employees being compelled to work overtime in order to earn a- commensurate wage, but the public does not apipear to realise that the conditions- of the award compel tho council to work overtime. The.exigencies of the service are such that rush hours have to be provided for, and I contend that'this work, being part of the daily service,. should he ’ done at ordinary rates' of pay. What is wanted is a forty-oight-hour week, and no overtime to be counted until that number of hours had been worked in any one week. It is the conditions of the award that is the cause of the whole trouble; but for these the whole question, could be settled amicably. There are men employed on tho trams who are earning £5 per week, and if a secret ballot was taken, I have no doubt that the result would be iu favour of accepting the 10 per cent, bonds which has been offered, hut the union officials decline to take a secret ballot. As I have stated, the council is bound hy so many restrictions, that an advance in the rate of wages would not. do away with overtime.” The foregoing remarks were made by an executive officer of the council, who expressed his desire to see that the employees were given a remunerative wage. “If the public would study the award,” he added, “they would learn for themselves the difficulties .that the tramway management have to contend with in order to give the communuity an adequate tram serviced.” AN ISLAND BAT PROPOSAL. At a meeting of tjie - Island Ba> Municipal Electors’ Association, tho following resolution was proposed and carried unanimously: “That this association suggests to the council and tho Tramway Union that, in. view of fho great inconvenience to the publio generally, caused by the present tramway trouble, that the parties ho urged. With a view to a speedy settlement, to meet in conference under , the presidency of a Minister of the Crown.” A copy of this resolution is to be sent to the Acting-Prime Minister, tho Mayor, and tho 1 secretary of tho Tramway Union.