War Of Tramcar And Motor

NZ Truth, Issue 973, 19 July 1924, Page 5

War Of Tramcar And Motor

By-laWs, Fees, Closed Roads

Auckland City Council Versus Motor 'Buses That Collar Business

rrJCan Local Bodies Be Trusted To Do A Fair Thing |T To All Interests?

Can a tramway-owning local body be absolutely impartial when it frames traffic restrictions and 6y-law3 and levies license fees on its motor competitors?

(From "Truth's" Auckland Rep.)

The Tramway Department of the Auckland City Council; little thought what a hornet's nest it was to bring ab/out its ears when it peremptorily ordered the charabanc drivers off their stand at the foot of Cjueen, . St. Restricted hitherto almost entirely to tourist and sightseeing jtrips, the busmen at once replied byi running their vehicles m opposition to the trams. They found public . support immediately, for reasons -that "Truth" has already pointed out, being -swift,' comfortable and; convenient and carrying pasaengers at. tram 1 fares. Now there ore a. dozen or more wonderfully constructed, handsome big. '.buses on the streets and they are often seen sailing gaily along with a crowded — but not uncomfortably. croiwded-'-complemetit, whilst trams along their routes run almost empty. ; The Mayor, m one of his . famoua .. messages to the citizens, implored them not to use the 'buses; but the said citizens ' preferred to please themselves, and so, almost eyery . Auckland . suburb has now its 'bus service. V The Auckland City Council is more than wrath about it, and now comes' ; the tug-of-war. _ Tlie Council proposes to • prohibit the 'buses from using certain roads. PERMANENT TRACK V. ROAD. The policy of the Government and of local bodies; towards anyone competing with their transport ' Services is proceeding along fairly well defined lines. The Government pleads that, after an expenditure of many millions m. a costly railway tradk, it is being competed with by motors running on free roads, to the cost! of which the owners of the competing motors* do not (m the Government's opinion 1 ) adequately . contribute. *._. The railways management also complains that it is carrying, at below cost.! metal to build up th? roads for its rival to use m competition. The mornlto which all the Government arguments lead up Is: "Tax 'em." Similarly,! the tramwayowning local bodies object to maintaining roads' so as to provide (at greatly ipcreased expense) a [good running surface for the motor competitor who (m their opinion) does not. contribute adequately to the rates. The moral • to which- the local be-dy arguments lead up is "license fee 'em," "by-law 'em, ' "close certain' ro^ds to 'em." So a tug- of- war is inevitable. It is a local, body's duty to deal with license fees for vehicle^, to fix traffic restrictions, and to make traffic bylaws; but,, when the local body Is m tne traffic business itself, can it carry out that duty impartially so far as its competitors are concerned! A m, fhf opinion of "Truth's" rep!, the wffh l a v" d Clty Council,;! In -its dealings with the motor services! Is not holding j^^cales of justice impartially— far PROSECUTIONS A^DppWERS.* ■ ■ The Council ;i>roposes}td^rofilhit the tuises from, certain rdads— it -is apparent that it would prohibit the existence of their, privately-jowned vehicles , altogether if it were able, In fact, it is bewailing jts lack of power m this direction, and we hear; the" Mayor declaring that his municipality should be given unlimited authority. . Sir James Gunson Is^.very flne! man, and. -an able man ; but his claims for despotism to the city Council appear to indicate that his municipal he^id is beginning to swell. 'Bus drlversja: d proprietors are^being threatened and prosecuted right and left* and if the battle continues In this fashion [we shall soon ftave a be-buttohed, peaked-capped traffic Inspector to watch each 'bus. _ At last week's meeting of the City Council, however, plain .'notice was given that the managers of our municipal tramways are going to take sterner measures than to hound the 'buses. It was apparent, amid a sea Qf oratory and typewritten reports, that the City Council is going to try and drive this smashing competition right off the Iroad. i ,The flrst thing done was to take step's to/amend the by-law which has. for years permitted large charabancs 'to take visitors through the delightful Domain drive. The Council' has discovered tha,t the roads m the- Domain" cannot carry such Heavy traffic. Therefore tho charabancs are to be ordered off them. Then it is suggested that heavy traffic should' be prohibited over Grafton Bridge. The motor 'buses are running over here now — and all at once the need to reserve the use of this road for light traffic only becomes "imperative." This matter was not finalised last week. It Is now being

dealt with m committee; that is to say m secret.

WHERE DOES ECONOMY LIE?

But the loveliest thing at the meeting was the memorandum of the Mayor on. motor traffic conditions.

"There had arisen a tendency to resist authority and raise objection to the present inadequate fees and ineffective regulations which local bodies, under their limited powers, had enacted. Suggestions of unreasonableness and hardness had been urged m. Court against the by-laws, v- Fortunately, most of these had- not succeeded. The Increasing importance of local government, and the fact that it was the most economical form of , public administration rendered '- it necessary that the local governing authorities should have almost" unfettered powers.!" , „-■■_• ;■'.

"ECONOMICAL ADMINISTRATION!"

A fine mess the .Auckland City' Council has made of the ratepayers' money, and fine high rates it sl^ps on the citizens to pay. foi* its extravagant and wasteful whims m they way of housing, fish markets, Zoos, city squares, and the like. "Economical administration, indeed! llf the City

(Auckland Barrister and Expert on

Navigation and Marine Law.) "Praise the sea, but keep on the land." — George Herbert.

Council had all the power that Mayor Gunson seeks, Auckland would be comparable to Old St.* Petersburg— with Mayor Gunson In the role of the Czar. ■'•'■ * •'■ •'.;■- •*■•*•• After •; bemoaning the Council's lack of pfcwers, the Mayor declared that 'the Auckland tramways, to meet roading obligations, paid into the revenues of the -local authorities _ an- amount equal to '-.££so for each tramcar per annum— and he reckoned that motor Abuses should pay the same. With a view to seeing what could be done m this way to paralyse the opposition of the i motor 'buses, the matter was referred to committee— and we shall doubtless see some interesting eventuality. MOTOR LEVIES COMPARED. Mr. A. E. Ford, manager of the tramways, worked it out that motor 'bus competition to the Council's trams had only been made possible by the good roads provided by the Council, and that "the unfair and unnecessary competition" between the trams and 'buses was wasteful and bad for everybody. Motor 'buses m Auckland, he-said, paid only £10 to £18 license fee a year, whereas m England they paid £70 to £80. And— ■*'"•'• "If unrestricted licensing <af vehicles was to continue m Auckland, serious street congestion would be Inevitable. with the result that the free lance competition must eventually seriously , embarrass the financial position of the city tramways undertaking, and it might give the Council cause to re- ■ consider Itr tramway construction and : general development programme.". Mt. Ford concluded his attack on the : 'buses by recommending the Council to i "consider the matter seriously." The Council will— and, as we said * before, "Now starts the tug-of-war!"