CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAYS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16523, 6 September 1921, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAYS.

meeting of board. The Tramway Board mei yesterday ; 1 present—Mr S-. A. Staples (’chairman), Hon J. Barr, Af.L.C'.. and Afessrs T. H. Da rev. D. Sykes, AW .T. AVaitcr, J. J Wood, G. T. Booth and H. Pearce. NEW BRIGHTON SERVICE. The AVorks and Traffic Committee reported that, the general manager had been instructed t 0 report on the question of improving the New Brighton timetable from n thirty-minute service to a fifteen or twenty-minute one. He had stated that the thirty-minute service took two cars. A twenty-minute service would require.-, throe cars, but crossing places suitable for the present service Merc not well placed for a twenty-minute one. To ensure easy running it Mould be necessary to extend tbe double track from Wainoni to Breeze's Road, bringing the now W irihana loop into view. The other crossing -would bo at Stanmore Road, which would involve some measure of delay which did not now obtain when the theoretical crossing was the centre of a long stretch of double track. A fifteen-minute service could be run with present loops, but not with quite tho game flexibility as the present service. The objection, however, to the alteration was on financial grounds. The present cost of the No. 5 service was £24,723 per annum. The revenue met that, but with practically nothing to spare. The North Beach service was run at a loss, and as both services serve tho same borough, the financial position of the two combined must bo considered. Apart from that, it must be noted that there were other Tines which assisted tho financial position of the tramway service much more substantially than did tho No. 5 route, which did not much more than pay its own way. and if there was to bo much improvement in time tables those should receive preference over No. 5. As a matter of fact, the statistics for 1921 showed that New Brighton was nearly at the. bottom of the list when the average number of passengers per car mile run the year round was taken into account. The expenses mentioned above included standing charges <>n permanent -way. They also included the cost of assisting cars on holidays, etc. Therefore, an increase in the. regular timetable from a thirty-minute to j say a fifteen-minute would not double the annual charge, but the increase m expenditure would be so great that it was clear a substantial deficiency would result, even after making allowance for some consequent increase in traffic. The increased service was therefore, not recommended. Another trip had ItCeii recently run between 4 and 5 p.m. to better cope with the • loading at that time, and it. was along ! those lines that improvements to the | service must he made from lime to time as 1 he need arose. The report was adopted. WORKS AND TRAFFIC COMMITTEE. The Works and Traffic Committee reported in regard to the Tramway Act Amendment Bill, that the Bill had been deposited in terms of tbe Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. Representatives of tbe hoard j Mould confer with the local members of Parliament at their meeting on Wednesday next. The duplication of the Riccarton line through tbe Park Mas now practically completed, and the committee Mas engaged in considering the question ks to what works should folloM". As interests were conflicting and various, the solution Mas not an easy one. Tbe Automobile Association had pointed out that there was no room for a motor-car between kerb and tram-car at the Shakespeare Road corner, but there were others in the same position, and the acquirement of property to improve things Mould run into too much money. In anv case, work of that kind should be done in co-operation with the road local authority. The board had lent tbe City Council £35.000 at 4£ per cent on seven days’ call. That would save the I council a substantial amount in its overdraft expenses, and at the same lime bring some return to tho board for money otherwise idle. Shortage of rolling stock had made the fitting of f he new route numbers a. long process, but work Mas now complete. Tt. was proposed to change the numbers at each terminal, so that passengers and ' others ignorant of direction would not | be confused as was sometimes now the case. The uev numbers of tbe termij Hals affected will ho as follow :—No. j 15, Christchurch railway station ; No. j Id, >St Albans Park: No. 13, Opawa; ! No. 14, Coronation Street; No. 7, Din J coin Road. The committee wap still ! engaged in the problem of disposing of unsold debentures, £B-5,600. The commitments for material, etc., would soon absorb the cash at present in hand, bo that if construction work was to continue, a. market must be found for the debentures mentioned. The report n-as adopted. NEW BRIGHTON BRIDGE. Tho New Brighton Borough Council wrote asking tho board to instal a traffic signal on the New Brighton tramway bridge, sis there was no room for vehicles to pass on the bridge. The general manager reported that the bridge belonged to tb© board, and was erected for tiam purposes only. Vehicles used it as a matter of courtesy, not of right. The chairman said that an alarm might be erected, but it must be put in by tbe Borough Council, not by the board. Mr Walter said that ho presumed that if there Mas an accident on the bridge the board would be responsible. It was decided, on the motion of Air Walter, to obtain an estimate of the cost of erecting an alarm. SUBWAY. It was decided to support tbe proposal of th© Woolston Borough Council that the Government should provide it footway subway under the railway from I Whittington Avenue to Church Street, j thus linking up Woolerton and Opaira. | TRAIDERS 7N CATHEDRAL SQUARE. Th© City Council wrote asking that trailers should be removed from Cathedral Square The chairman said that tbe Bfoard would minimise the drawback of the trailers in the Squaro as much as possible. Mr Davey paid that the trailers, if possible, should be. kept out of tho Square. Th© general manager said that added expenditure M-ould he incurred if the trailers were moved from tho Square. fu reply to Mr Davey, tbe general manager said that tbe same objection i would be taken to trailers being kept j behind tho Cathedral, near ihe board’s I shed 3. It would be. possible to cut out some of tho trailers of the TVoolstonSumner and Riccarton lines. If trailers wer© removed from the Square from 1 Mondays to Fridays . perhaps there would not be tho samo objection to their

being in the Square on Saturday after- J noons. Th© chairman said that tbe board could not do more than minimise the 1 position. Air Wood said that there was no 1 doubt that trailers in the Square Mere a. convenience to the board's officers, but. th© expense if they M ere kept out of th© Square would not be very great. Air Pearce said that the. trailers must he taken out of the Square sooner or later, and they might as well be taken | out now. Tt was decided, on the motion of Air 1 Wood, to instruct the general mauagor 1 to report on th© additional cost of taking the trailers out of the Square. AIISCEDD A N EO U S. Five letters were received from the Railway Department in reply to letters from th© general manager, in regard to delays at railway crossings. Afr Sykes said that the board should write to the authorities in Wellington on tho subject. The general manager said that the stationmaster at Addington- did his best in the circumstances. He did not think that the- railway officers should he blamed. Tbe action of tbe general manager in keeping the matter before the Railway Department was approved: The. Railway Department wrote, in reply •to an inquiry, stating that it had no locomotives to sell. A motion was passed that the board should pay costs in connection with tbe Manchester Street inquiry.