CITY TRANSPORT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25175, 16 March 1943, Page 2

CITY TRANSPORT

MAINTENANCE DIFFICULTIES EFFECTS OF LABOUR SHORTAGE The effect of the labour shortage on the work of maintaining the transport services was stressed when the report of the Transport Committee was under consideration at the meeting of the City Council last night. The chairman of the committee (Cr M. C. Henderson) referred to a clause in the reports stating that the revenue for 47 weeks of the current financial year, compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, showed an increase of £ 16,534, or 8.58 per cent. For a period of 44 weeks there was a surplus of revenue over expenditure of £16,232, an improvement on last year’s figures of £7005. These were really inflated figures, the chairman said, as much of this surplus would have been absorbed by maintenance work if the labour and materials had been available. The chairman also referred to the fact that there had been a loss on the operations of the cable cars owing to maintenance difficulties. This applied particularly to the Kfjkorai line. When the new cable for this service would arrive no one could tell. Condition of Tracks

Cr Henderson went on to refer to a statement made at a meeting of the Automobile Association (Otago) that the tram tracks were in “ a disgraceful state.” He agreed with this statement so long as the word “ disgraceful ” was not defined as meaning “ something of which we should be ashamed.” In that case, he said, he must object, because it was not the case that there had been deliberate neglect. It was unnecessary to go again into the whole story, but the fact was that the department could not get enough men. If anyone could get men for the department it would be glad to have them. Cr R. Walls described the tracks as being in a' “ most dangerous ” condition, and added that the present method of repairing them was “ simply throwing money away.” The suggestion of wastage was denied by Cr Henderson, who said that, although it was known that the method was unsatisfactory and that the foundations should be renewed, the department could only do its best with the available labour.

Carriage of Perambulators In reply to a suggestion that hooks should be provided on the front of the large cars as well as the small cars for the carriage of perambulators, Cr Henderson said that this could not be done, as there would be insufficient clearance when the large cars were passing on curves. Regarding a proposal that steps should be taken to avoid the waste of paper by the throwing away of tickets, Cr Henderson pointed out that notices had been placed in the small cars drawing attention to the fact that tickets should be,dropped behind the seats. If receptacles were placed in the large cars, he doubted whether they would be used very much.