CURRENT TOPICS.

Southland Times, Issue 14579, 21 November 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

“ VOTES ” FOE SOUTHLAND COTJKTV.

The Public Works Estimates of this year contain nothing of outstanding note so far as the votes for expenditure in the Southland County is concerned. It is generally allowed by those most immediately interested that the vote as a. Whole is about as liberal (or parsimonious. according to view - point) as usual. A scanning of the individual votes brings under notice the rather strange fact that' there are several votes for streets within boroughs, but it is scarcely likely that county officials will enter the precincts of an adjoining local body to carry out such works which hj reality do not concern the county. The following table will show how much has been put on the Estimates- for expenditure in the Southland County;—

Old. New. £ £ Ordinary roads & bridges 7,410 10,665 Back-blocks roads 2,345 100 Roads on goldfields .... 1,250 1,550 Total 11,005 12,315 What are described as “old votes "are sums which were voted last year, but which were not applied for in sufficient time to get them before 31st March last. These sums have been re-voted. The reason that there i. - . such a large number of old votes is that ihe Estimates last year were late in coming down, and it was found impossible to get the worK provided for in them done before 31st March.

TRACKLESS TRAMWAYS,

Mr D. Sykes, a member of the Chr/stfc church Tramway Hoard, found time during a recent visit to England to investigate very thoroughly the improvements in tramway plant and systems which have been inaugurated in the towns of Northern England. Interviewed on his return to Christchurch a few days ago, he told a Lyttelcon Times reporter that he had been greatly interested in the " trackless system ” of running feeder lines in the outer suburban districts of large cities. Tais has struck him as >eing a system that was worthy of attention in view of the particular needs of Christchurch. So far as topographical features are concerned, Christchurch is, perhaps, the town of New Zealand whose tramway installation may most usefully be studied in view of the steps now being taker, to institute an electric tramway service in Invercargill. It will be remembered that it June of last year Mr Edward Roberts, consulting engineer of Dunedin, supplied the then existing borough councils jf Invercargill and suburbs with certain information concerning “ trackless tramways,” a system which, he said, was occupying the attention of the authorities in Great Britain and on the Continent. There seemed to be no doubt, Mr Roberts then pointed out, that this system would be used as a feeder system to existing lines of tramway. when it would not pay to extend the main line, even if it was not adopted solely fpr some towns where the population was not large enough to warrant the laying down of - complete tramway. It' was estimated that the interest calculated on the mileage for the different tramway systems was '• Cable tramway, 11% d ; electric, 5%d ; trackless, %d. This rail-less system is one by which cars or omnibuses are operated by electric motors, obtaining their energy from overhead trolley wires, and for which no special track is required. A hinged boom or trolley pole admits of the cars passing any other vehicles, and leaves them, within reasonable limits, free to traverse the whole width of the roadway like ordinary vehicles. The comparison of cost of installation given above was based on the estimate of cost for a service in one of the continental towns, 2%, miles within the city boundary, and 2% miles ■ in the suburbs, allowing for the provision of 1-1 cars, to run a 5 minute service within the city and a 10 minute service outside. The strongest objection to the system was the wear and tear on the roads, the upkeep of which it was believed would be a somewhat heavy item. Mr Sykes found that Leeds had adopted this system, and,. when he left England, Bradford was endeavouring to gel the necessary empowering legislation to do the same. A great advantage of installing rail-less trams is that while it provides a cheap and efficient service for routes which are not sufficiently well patronised to warrant the laying of a permanent way, a great deal of the expenditure goes towards the erection of trolley wires and jroles, which may be utilised for the permanent system when growth of population justifies the laying down of a track for the ordinary railrunning trams. In the rail-less system the cars have rubber-tyred wheels, and the cost of replacing tyres is said to bo less per car mile than that of maintaining a permanent rail-track. The official report of the Lees municipality shows the cost of running to be 5.64 d per cat mile, as follows ; Pence Energy 41 General expenses 59 Rubber tyres 2.16 Wages L4O Renewals of vehicles and line . . .62 Repairs to vehicles 46 •Total 5.64 The estimate does not appear, however, to take account of the maintenance of tlie road, the wear and tear on which, by the running of heavy vehicles containing 24 passengers, must be considerable. N.Z. SHIPPING CO. The operations of the New Zealand Shipping Co.. Limited, during the twelve months ended 30th June last are reviewed in the .twenty-third annual report

which is to hand by mail. The net profit. after allowing for depreciation, amounted to £56,695, as against £52,723 in the previous year. On this occasion £30,000 is added to the reserve fund, as compared with a similar sum a year ago. The dividend is again at the rate of 6Vi per cent ecpial to a distribution of 10s per share, of which 5s per share was paid in April, and in addition a bonus of 3s 6d per share has been distributed, leaving a balance of £15.548 to be carried forward. A comparison of the leading items in the balance sheet is shown below ; 1906-7 1907-8 190S-9 1909-10 Net profit (after deducting depreciation, etc.) 13.113 71.326 52,722 36.633 Dividend and bonus, per cent 5 .Transferred to reserve Capital 173,810 473,810 473.H40 173,810 Debentures .... 337,500 337,300 386,500 386,500 Bills payable .... 168,181 79,133 57,082 101.351 Reserves .. 100,000 120,000 130,000 150,000 The company’s fleet consists of teen steamers, aggregating 119,853 tons gross, which stand in the books at £979,-48-1, these totals comparing with tons gross valued at £926,223. at 30th June. 1909. The directors in their report state that a con trace has been made with Messrs William Denny and Brothers for a now passenger steamer which will be delivered next year, and that negotiations for the building of a new cargo steamer are almost completed.

BANK OP AUSTRALASIA. ■ At the meeting of shareholders in the Bank of Australasia held in London on 6th October the chairman pointed out that they were celebrating the diamond jubilee of the Institution, which had been founded in 1835. In honour of the occasion the shareholders had been given an extra bonus of 2 per cent, and it had been decided to grant a bonus to the staff equal to 10 per cent on their salaries, absorbing about £20,000. The latter is a fitting recognition of the services of the officers, upon whose zeal and efficiency so much of the prosperity of the bank depends. The chairman made a tactful reference to recent Federal legislation, and In this respect set an example which might with advantage be followed by local institutions. He said : “As regards the introduction of a Federal note Issue in Australia, the effect it will have upon us will be to put a stop to the bank lote issue, which for many years we have carried on at some profit to ourselves, and at considerable advantage to the community. That profit will now cease ; whether the advantage to the community will continue is a matter which we may all hope will prove to be the case. The other bill is a Land Taxation Bill, and that will affect us, inasmuch as it will tax not only the site values of our premises, but also any landed property that may come to us in the course of business. either by our having to foreclose mortgages or In other ways. That will take money out of our pockets, so that both of these bills are not likely to add to the profit accounts of the bank in future years.” The chairman concluded by saying : “ As a bank, we have no politics whatever ; but we desire, as loyal subjects, to support whatever reasonable ind proper measures may be proposed for carrying on the government of the country.”