NEW PLYMOUTH TRAMS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1933, Page 13

NEW PLYMOUTH TRAMS

OUTLOOK NOW BRIGHTER. GENERAL DOMINION LOSSES. r The outlook of the tramway departi ment of the New Plymouth Borough ; Council seemed to be brighter than for 1 some time, and that was solely through ! the co-operation of the travelling public and the faithful work of the staff and management, said Cr. P. E. tainton at the electors’ meeting on Monday night. In March, 1316, the trams commenced running at New Plymouth and steady progress in the revenue was made until 1927, when the revenue started to decline. The past five years had been a constant struggle to try to arrest that decline, said Cr. Stainton. Practically all other tramway systems in the Dominion had been experiencing similar trouble, which made it apparent that the trouble was not purely local. Various , supposed remedies such as cheaper fares, i increased fares, a reduced service, a fa.qt.Ar service and finally, one-man trams throughout had been tried by the council, but in the main without the desired result. Last year fares had been reduced and at the end of four months it was found that the number of passengers was not increasing and the loss was £l5O a week or over £5O in addition to the losses with the previous fares. The council unanimously agreed to revert to the old fares. “However, we make bold to prophesy that our revenue has reached bottom and an improvement is confidently expected,” said Cr. Stainton. “Results have proven that the introduction of the oneman tram earlier ' would have been a decided advantage, and this system is being adopted now fairly generally all through the Dominion.”' Figures indicating various costs and comparisons with other years were then quoted. The overhead charges and wages for the year ending 1934 would be reduced by about £2500. “From time to time the question of both the electric light and tramway departments being under one management, as in 1923, has been discussed, and in this connection 1 it is interesting to note that in 1923, under the one management, it cost for management and superintendence a total ' of £1639, as against £1655 10s for the year ending March 31, 1933,” concluded Cr. Stainton. “This represented an increase of only £l6 10s, notwithstanding the fact that the electric light department had grown enormously since 1923.” The tramway committee had invited ■ representatives of the Tramway Union to discuss any points affecting the welfare of the men -or likely to improve the service, Cr. Stainton said in reference to a Labour candidate’s contention that the advice of the men would assist the management. When the trams had been started some business men said they would never pay, commented Cr. Stainton. They had almost been wholly correct —1923 was the only year they had shown a profit. But he believed that for a small town the tramway system was working efficiently. The sections were certainly small, but it ■ was only fair that the people using the trams should bear a portion of their cost.

Asked by Mr. R. Fulton why an agreement for a further three years at £9OO a year should be made with the town clerk and borough solicitor and the Tramways Union members should suffer a cut, Cr. Stainton said the men concerned had met the borough representatives in conference and had been satisfied with the arrangement made.. An undertaking had been given that as soon as conditions improved the men would be restored to their former position.