GLASGOW'S TRAMWAYS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20708, 4 May 1929, Page 20

GLASGOW'S TRAMWAYS.

“ A WONDERFUL SYSTEM.” CHEAPEST IN BRITISH ISLES. CITY OF HALFPENNY FARES A well-dressed man once walked into the lost property office at the headquarters of Glasgow’s tramways and announced he had lost a penny in a tramcar. Could he have it back? “Certainly,” said the lady in charge, and solemnly handed him the lost penny—she hadn’t the heart to ask him for the usual sixpenny fee for restoring lost property. He departed smiling, and is probably doing well somewhere. All sorts of reasons have been given why Glasgow has the cheapest and most wonderful tramway system in the British Isles, but it seems, says Mr Wallace Dean, in a recent article, that the most important reason, really, is that the City Corporation, right from the beginning, recognised facts, and particularly the fact that it had to cater for a population with no money to waste. Mr Wallace says: Would that other corporations were similarly convinced. For look at what it has meant to the fortunate people of Glasgow—we ought to have large letters for it—halfpenny fares and a 20mile ride for 2d! No other town or city gives you such terms. A halfpenny fare and a 20-mile ride for 2d are not to be found anywhere outside Glasgow I asked Mr Wilson, the assistant general manager, why such generosity existed. “ We believe in keeping our cars full,” he said, simply. As a matter of fact, the cars are really full. I should say that the people of Glasgow have “ got the tramcar habit ” to ah extent difficult to equal anywhere. A PAYING PROPOSITION. The tramways carried no fewer than 466,142,258 passengers last year, and this with a population served by the system of 1,500,000. The average number ol journeys per head of the population was no less than 302. Another interesting proof that the Glasgow man loves a tramcar is that the traffic revenue—£2,3Bs,92B—was more than half that of the London County Council tramways, which tap a population six times larger. It's the little "a’penny” fare that helps—'and also the übiquity of the cars. The corpration sees to it that wherever there happens to be a “ha’penny.” in a man’s pbcket there is a tramcar for him to squander it in. The small boy on the why to school, the business man in a hurry the housewife who has just heard of a bargain three streets away—all these and many others find that “ ha’penny ” fare very handy, Glasgow’s trams are, and always have been, a paying proposition. Last year there was 2666 miles of single track open; the cars ran nearly 35,000,000 miles, and there was a not revenue of £811,749. The surplus, _ after allowing large sums for interest, income tax, depreciation, sinking fund, permanent way renewals, and a loss on the subway and buses, was £19,754. This last-named sum doer not go to the relief of rates, as in most other cities, but is handed over to what is called the Common Good,” a fund from which various charities and institutions benefit. Glasgow’s theory is that tramways should not be run to help the rates, .i u 6 P e ?P‘ e who use them,” it is stated, have the first claim to any benefits there are, and the primary object should be to keep glares as low as possible.” That policy accounts for the smallness of the surplus. If the fares were not the cheapest in the kingdom the surplus would be many times greater. COMBINATION OF CAUSES. The success of the trams is due to a combination of causes. The fact that the cars are able to tap the centre of a huge city is a valuable consideration. Again, the routes are very -arefully organised, and owing to the system of differently coloured cars for different routes, identification is fairly easy. Another important ’ factor is chea i power. Tht Tramways Committee makes itfi own oleotrioity, and thus the profit that would otherwise go to an outside undertaking is eliminated. Last year over 60,000,000 units were used for traction and lighting, and the fuel consumed amounted to over 74,000 tons. Practically everything, in fact, is ‘ self-contained.” There are corporation car works and repair depots, where any kind of work can be carried out, from winding an armature to mending a conductor’s punch. Over £160,000 is spent on the repair and inspection of cars in 12 months. Altogether, the employees of the Tramways Committee number no fewer than 7200, and the annual wages bill has ranged from £1.200.000 for many rears. All the motormen and conductors are put through a course of training before being allowed to take up duty and every conductor must be able to drive. Both classes of men are paid the name wages, beginning at 56s a week, and rising to 64s in the fifth year; but drivers receive Is a week extra if they keep clear of accidents. BUSES AGAINST TRAMS. The story of this huge undertaking is a romance. For many years a private company operated horse tramcars, and i there are still numerous citizens who re- • member the commotion of 34 years ago when the City Council took over the i system. •No agreement could be arrived at with the old company, so the council had to I p-ovide its own plant and horses. It I had 18 months in which, without any ex- 1 perience, to make its purchases and organise everything, and when a start was eventually made thousands of horses were immediately affested by influenza. Then the old company ran buses to compete with the trams. There were scenes of excitement in th streets as the buses raced against the trams, and the company’s drivers jeered at the “novices.” But although the cor- i poration reduced the fares previously 1 charged and gave its employees better > working conditions, it finished the first year with a payment to the " Common Good of oyer £BOOO. A few years later electric traction was adopted, and after that the undertaking grew by leaps and bounds. Gradually the system extended, until to-day there is a green car which travels a distance from terminus to terminus of 25 miles.