TRAMWAY EXTENSIONS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16547, 23 September 1919, Page 6

TRAMWAY EXTENSIONS.

ENORMOUS INCREASE IN COST. At Monday’s meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council Mr. R. H. Bartley, tramways engineer and manager, in accordance with instructions submitted an estimate of cost for tramways extensions to M estown via Morlcy Street and Tukapa Road. “The estimate,’’ ho said, “is based on present clay quotations for materials and cost of'labour. For reference and to shoe' exactly how the estimate is made' up, 1 hare set out a schedule detailing the materials required together with present day’ prices and cost of constructing one mile of track complete and suitable for the class^ of extension under consideration. To estimate the cost of an extension over or under the mile but not under half a mile, it will snfliro to take a proportion of the price scheduled. The estimate allows for asphalting the track road surface and if this was not done, but substituted with tar sealing, the amount of £IO2O per mile must be deducted from the estimate. The cost of tar scaling per mile being £240. The amount allowed for excavating and filling, etc., is £SOO per mile; this figure may vary’ over or under tho amount allowed, accordingly to tho final levels adopted, hut if complete construction of one mile of track and overhead equipment is taken at £14,000 it will not fall far short of tiie mark under present conditions, _ Estimated AVestowu tramways extension cost per mile:—■ £ s. d. Mato r ials track 10,336’ 0 0 Construction track I.HG 0 0 £ s. d. 11,482 0 0 (If track tai sealed in lieu of asphalt deduct £1020) Mate r ia ls o v e r head equipment 2,415 14 8 Construction 246 0 0

2661 14 8 £14,143 14 8 Total materials 12,731 14 8 Total labour 1,392 0 0 £14,143 14 8 SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT.

In reply to your memo, re tramways extensions to Westown, the information requested is as under:— (a) Distance from present Morlcy Street terminus to Wallace Place, 39 chains. (b) To David Street. 1 mile 7 chains. (c) To Omata Road. miles 4 chains. (d) To Wallath Road, 11 miles 16 chains The extending of the track for one mile would not make our position re shortage of cars materially worse, providing that the extension and Morley Street .section be treated as at present. We. arc finding the want of more cars very acutely, and whether or no the extension he done additional cars will have to be purchased. When the, new Government regulations arc brought into force we will require at least two more cars to deal with the same number of passengers, as wo are handling at the present time and to cater for increased traffic a third car should follow ouiekly.

TOWN CLERK’S REPORT. With reference to the report submitted by the electrical and tramways engineer I would recommend that the council before deciding upon the extension, should very carefully consider the possibility of serving this district and also the Vogeltown district for the next ten years, at any rate, by means of a much improved 'bus service. The’ successful running of the electric ’bus to Westown leads one to believe that a very efficient service could be installed and maintained at' a very small cost compared with the cost which would be entailed by extending the tramways. It must be borne in mind also that the road to Westown is in good order, tar sealed, and that the road to Vogeltown will also be tar sealed this summer. Thus the greatest objection to a ’bus service, bad roads, has already been, removed., The cost of extending the tramways to Westown as estimated by the electrical engineer is £14,000 per mile compared with approximately £SBOO per mile which it cost to install our present system. The estimated cost of the extension is, therefore, so high that it must be several years before the extensions can be made to pay working expenses and interest. The. capital required for an efficient electric motor ’bus service would be so small in comparison and the working conditions so much more clastic that the service might possibly pay its way from the commencement. If such a service were to be installed, however, I think that the faros should not be greater than those charged upon the tramways. The function of the electric motor ’bus service should be to act as the pioneer of the electric tramways, to provide, cheap transit between the town and the less thickly populated suburbs, thereby encouraging the people to build and reside in such suburbs. Later on when tho population warrants it the tramways could be extended with some chance of obtaining a reasonable return for trio capital outlay involved. Sufficient information is not yet available to enable tho question to bo fully considered, and I therefore recommend that the electrical and tramways engineer bo instructed to submit a report generally upon the whole question and embodying tho following information: —

(a) The number of electric motor ’buses required to enable a 20minuto service to be maintained to AVcstown, a 40-minute service with extra trips at rush hours) to Vogeltown. with four trips per day to Frankleigh Park. (b) Tlie estimated capital cost of the motor ’buses required. (c) The estimated annual working expenses of such services. (d) The estimated revenue per annum to bo derived therefrom, based upon fares not greater than those at present charged upon the tramways.

(e) The estimated cost of tar sealing 1 Morloy Street from Devon Street to AVallace Place. (f) The estimated saving which would be effected if the Morley Street tram service was discontinued and the service taken up by the motor ’bus. The council deferred consideration for a. fortnight.