THE ELECTRIC TRAMS

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 920, 29 August 1896, Page 2

THE ELECTRIC TRAMS

A Wesson From "Wellington.

Wellington is better off than Auckland in the matter of overtures for the supply of an electric tramway system. It has two offers to construct electric tramways, and neither of these is from James Stewart, our respected fellow - townsman. This proves the truth of our former opinion that our chance of gettiug the electric tramways does not depend solely on James Stewart and his friends. Also, one of the parties negotiating with the Wellington Corporation offers to deposit £10,000 as a guarantee for the construction of the tramways, and neither one party nor the other has the audacity to ask for a forty-years' monopoly of the streets. There is a thing or two worth knowing to be gathered from these facts. "We have gone to London in search of people willing to build tramways for us. On the other hand, people have come from

other places and offer to supply these tramways to Wellington. Therefore, if we have the good judgment and sense to hold oar hands for a little while, we shall have straight-out offers of tramways such as Wellington is getting now, and these offers will be made to us on terms much more favourable to the community than those submitted by James Stewart There is strong competition even in the tramway business ; and wherever a profitable invest ment for capital is found, there you will always find people with money who are willing to have a shot at it. Consequently, we do not depend in any way upon James Stewart.

Bat why give this big monopoly into the hands of private speculators at all? We have had sufficient reason already to deplore the gas monopoly. Why, then, should we create a tramway monopoly also ? These London speculators would not undertake this venture if they were not satisfied that it would prove to be a profitable one ; and if it would be profitable in the hands of a foreign trust, how much more remunerative would it not be to the Corporation ? Besides that, it is desirable to keep this carriage monopoly in the hands of the people. Even the Herald, which is consistently opposed to experiments in Socialism, strongly urges that the Council should step in and take over the tramway system in the interests of the ratepayers, to the exclusion of company boodlers. The wires are being industriously pulled to induce the City Council to concede the forty years' monopoly demanded by James Stewart, but we trust, in the interests of the community, that these insidious manoeuvres will be discouraged and defeated. After all, electric tramways may be obsolete in forty years, and yet it is proposed to bind us down for a period of nearly two generations to this company, which has nothing in sympathy with us, and which will have no other purpose in this matter than to squeeze dividends out of the inhabitants of Auckland. The only argument io favonr of these concessions is that James Stewart and his friends in Auckland will make big profits out of them. There are a thousand arguments why they should not be granted. ■