INCREASES GRANTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26849, 13 August 1948, Page 4

INCREASES GRANTED

WELLINGTON TRAM FARES CASH AND CONCESSION P.A. WELLINGTON, Aug. 12. Increases in Wellington tram fares amounting to Id on all cash fares and of }d a trip on one section concession tickets have been authorised by the Price Tribunal, to come into effect from September 1. This means that cash fares will be. 3d for one section, with an additional penny for each additional section. The present rate is 2d for the first section, with a penny added for every, section thereafter. One-sec-tion concession tickets will in future provide six rides for Is, compared with eight rides for Is at present. ‘ The proposed new cash fares are tho same as the present Sunday cash fares, which remain unaltered: The tribunal made no alteration in other concession tickets, children’s fares, special cash fares for Scouts, Guides, etc., workers' concession tickets, or cable car fares, although increases in all of these were sought by the City Council. The tribunal held that the" raising of cash fares without an alteration in concession fares would result in greater use of concession tickets. This in turn would reduce the work of conductors and thus help to prevent the loss of cash fares, which the council had claimed represented a large amount in each week. • .

The tribunal suggested that if further relief were thought to be necessary the corporation should consider approach' ing the Legislature for a, variation of the present legal provisions covering payments to reserve and renewal funds. The tribunal noted the large increases in these funds over the war years; and suggested to the corporation that it might consider whether to continue to make such large payments annually to these funds. • The tribunal also thought that, in view of the very healthy state of the Accident Fund, further payments to that fund might be suspended in the meantime.