TRAM ACCIDENTS.

NZ Truth, Issue 90, 9 March 1907, Page 6

TRAM ACCIDENTS.

WHY ARE THEY NEVER REPORTED?

The number of tram accidents that have occurlfcd lately call for some comment on the traffic management of this city. Tram cars are allowed to traverse the crowded and narrow streets at a pace totally unwarrantable. It says much for the agility of Wellin<gtonians that numbers of him are not mangled up every day. Any day m the week, if anyone cares to station himself m "Willis-street, anywhere between the Empire Hotel and the Duke of Edinburgh corner, he will witness enough hair-breadth escapes to give him heart diseases But they are not all escapes. Only a few days since a milk cart bumped into a car opposite the ' Caledonian Hotel and provided a case for the hospital, besides smashing up the car some. Not a word of this m the dailies, an* no prosecution, either of the' milk cart' driver or the motorman—one or the other must have been at fault, and one or the other should have been punished for endangering the lives of a car-load of people. Again, m Cuba-street, A LADY WAS KNOCKBD X DOWN and taken to the hospital, and a somewhat similar case occurred only a few weeks previously. Why is it that nothing appears m the daily papers, about these accidents. It is the duty of the. daily and not the weekly press to record these happenings ; it is their duty towards the public which supports them. Why do they fail m this duty ? Is it because they are ignorant of these accidents or is it because they do hot wish to offend the City Council ? It is not herein suggested that the motor-^nen are always to blame, m fact, all things considered, they do remarkably well to come out with as few casualties as they do. But men must keep their billets, and to keep their •< billets they must keep to the time-table, and that means, a speed far m excess of what should be allowed, m the main thoroughfares of the town. If the public only- knew how many accidents really occur there would be an immediate outcry for investigation as to who, was at fault. 'If an unfortunate cabby runs down a .pedestrian he is pounced upoo immediately, and no matter how. little* he may have been to' blame, can generally count upon getting a good keel-haulms. A cabby Hvho pays the City -Council a license fee for the privilege of earning a crust must abide by the law to the letter, but the Corporation tramways can turn out cripples by the batch with impunity ._. ;