THE TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16907, 5 December 1922, Page 4

THE TRAMWAY SYSTEM.

| REVIEW OF YEAR’S WORK. | | At yesterday’s meeting of the Christ- ! | church Tramway Board Mr S. A. | p Staples, the retiring chairman, pre- j r son ted a report on the activities of j I the board during his year of office. The j | . report was as follows : NEW CARS. | The outstanding feature of the year's j i "*ork has been the prosecution of the | £ works authorised by the ratepayers •n | : ’J he construction of fifteen new ! | i iectric cars of latest design, and with modern equipment, has been pushed on. \ ; Ten have been completed, and the bal i j| : ance will come into use in the course of ■ i a months. The cost of these cars is I ! £4500 each, which sobering fact should j If i borne in mind by passengers who are j \ \so quickiy inclined to ask for acldi a ! tional accommodation. Ten trailers djj have been added to the lolling stock, at 11 j cost of £I2OO. each. Jt will he of interest to the board to learn that the Street Railway Engin- || Bering Society ( >f America has recently | j been engaged on the unification of car : design. it is pleasing to find that the | ; standard American car of the future is J 1 to be one almost exactlv similar to the If • new ones recently placed on the G'brist- | : church streets by the board. 1 ! THE CAR SHED. I 1 The board’s car shed had previouslv £ been overcrowded. This addition of | rolling stock made an extension of car I cover essential. The workshops con S tamed old plant, and were much circum §j «crihf«l in area. These factors caused H the board to decide to convert the old | repair shop into car cover, and to build g new repair shops on a roomier site opg posite. Up-to date plant has also been g installed. This cost £77 ,000 an ex Ipenditure which could not be avoided, but which will allow for natural expansion for many years to come. NEW TRACKS. New tracks opened for traffic during the year have been the duplication of the Riccarton line from the Hospital to Clarence Road; a line in Lichfield Street lor the more convenient use of Riccarton traffic; the duplication of the Cashmere line from Fisher Street to Farrington Street, an extension of the Spreyclon line : new loops at the Papa ntii terminus to enable trailers to be 1 larked clear of vehicular traffic; a new loop on the New Brighton line to en able a better service to be run on Sun days; and a new loop near Torrens Road on the Lincoln Road line. Simultaneously with the construction of these new lines, it became necessary to completely renew section* o! the o!4 track The board has been criteised in the past for creating depreciation reserves, but the wisdom of this was made apparent when certain of the older tracks came i.i the end of their life. Owing to the higher cost of material and labour, | moneys in the depreciation fund were insufficient, and the board has obtained (g iby special order power to borrow the $ j difference between present cost and the I j orignal cost. | FENDALTON SUB STATION. I When more cars are put into service, j H more power is required. This has been y provided by the erection of an automap cie sub-station at Fendalton, which | takes current direct from Lake Coler | idge and feeds Riccarton, Fendalton and I Papanui. The station is so planned as a to obviate the constant attendance of | engineers, thus reducing operating | costs considerably. It is the most up 1 to date, and probably most complex i plant south of the line. it was in- | stalled by the board’s own engineering 8 staff, and I think the board will agree I with me that it is greatly to their it credit. The loans raised for these 1 works amounted to £414,000, but, | owing to increase in costs, this sum is ‘.vill be insufficient to complete the 1 rhedule to the extent of £75,000. | When the loan was submitted the | v ram way revenue was buoyant, belt/ rhe jj financial stringency experienced in the jj country generally has checked this ex--2 pension to an extent which has caused | the board to decide not to borrow any J more money in the meantime.

PASSENGERS AND REVENUE. Taking the period from April 1 to November 19, wo find that the pas■ngers carried last year wore 15,742,592 and this year 15,729,226, a decrease of 13,566. There was this decrease notwithstanding that the period this year included an Easter, while last > car it did not. The revenue last year was £157,600. This year, including Easter traffic, the revenue was £157,522, a decrease of £7S. This check in revenue growth has an important bearing on the increase in standing charges whicli the loan expenditure will entail. It is very doubtful whether this increased outgoing can he met except by an increase in fares, and the matter will have to receive your consideration early next year. ADMINISTRATION COSTS. Early in the year a special investigation was made with respect to the possibility of effecting further economies in operation. Certain early morning trips were cut out, and the staff of the maintenance department reduced. Comparisons with other centres showed that the administrative costs compared very favourably, so much So that the hoard passed a. resolution congratulating its officers on the result. TRAFFIC CONTROL. No opportunity is lost to co-operato with other local authorities in improvement of general traffic conditions. The beard readily agreed to subject its motormen to the direction of police traffic officers at the bank corner and elsewhere. A general improvement lias resulted. Motorists offending against Hie City Council’s by-laws, which require that a motor-car must not pass a tram discharging passengers, are reported by the board’s staff either to the police or to the City Council. It i . not possible to have all stopping places on the near side of intersecting streets, but there has been a considerable increase in the number of such stopping places during the year. The beard has gone to considerable expense in providing balloon loops and trailer parking places at terminals, which have the effect of leaving the roadway n. ore clear for other traffic than was formerly the case. It is hoped that tliis policy will be etxended as funds permit. The safety zone created by the City Council in front of the shelter in Cathedral Square ought to have two recults —not only will it provide protection for waiting tram passengers, but the roadway as the result ought to be much more free of pedestrians scattered over the whole width than was formerly the case. At the suggestion of the board, the City Council widened the roadway in Oxford Terrace in the vicinity of the Scott Statue, and also covered side channels at Dalgety’s corner and elsewhere, the board co-operat-ing in the expense. This improvement is appreciated by vehicle drivers. The board also surrendered a portion of the tramway shelter in Cathedral Square to assist the City Council in its institution of a women’s and children’s rest room. STAFF MATTERS During the year a renewal of indus trial agreements with the Tramway

.Employees’ Union and the tramway officers has been made, expiring in both cases in 1924. The board is-at present paying £155,240 per annum in wages and salaries, and the staff totals 616. There lias been satisfactory co-opera-tion between staff and board, with an absence of friction which had been ex perieneed occasionally in the past. The board’s superannuation scheme established in 1918, is now in full operation. The board contributes £4376 (49 per cent) per annum, the State £I7BB (20 per cent), and the employees £2778 (31 per cent). Nine employees who had reached the pension age are now on the fund, and in five other cases the widows and children of deceased employees are participating in benefits. A number of maternity bonuses—£6 each—have

also been distributed. The hoard sub sidises £ for £ the contributions of em ployees to their own Sick Benefit Soci ety—the board’s subsidy being at the rate of £6BO per annum. Now that the accumulated funds of the society have reached over £IOOO the subsidy will be reduced in the meantime. The board's workshops—affording a variety of experience—have a good reputation for the training of appren tices. There are fourteen of these employed. in addition to the award rate, they receive bonuses of from 2s Od to os per week, if they attend the School of Engineering and obtain satisfactory reports from the professor in charge Iho board also pays their college fees, in addition to these apprentices, the board has at the present time four students of the School of Engineering in its shops, who are taking the professional course at the college, but who are required to put in eighteen months’ practical work in connection therewith. The workshop and. car shed additions mentioned previously afforded an opportunity to provide up-to-date dining and bja-thing conveniences for work shop and car shed men, which are much appreciated. A fine social hall with three billiard tables is also in use. The responsibility for finance for this is ori the men themselves. The board provided the room, and subsidises the caretaker’s wages. FUTURE POLICY. In conclusion I w ish to earnestly im press upon members of the board that in view of the increasing annual amount of overhead charges and the all but stationary revenue, the great necessity for the board not to undertake any expensive new work until it is assured of an immediate and profitable return of revenue from the same, unless such work is absolutely necessary for the betterment of the existing service. Finally, l wish to thank the board for its assistance during my term of office I also wish to I hank the General Man ager (Mr F. Thompson), the Engineer (Mr E. P. Turner) and all the otlie*: members of the staff for their courteous assistance. Mr G. T. Booth said lie thought Mr Staples was to be congratulated on his report and on having completed a successful year of office. For various reasons the year had been a difficult one but. in spite of rather indifferent health, Mr Staples had fulfilled his duties well. Speaking to the report Mr 3. A. Flesher said that it disclosed (he liter Uliat in the .matter of finance tlm board was “ sailing very close to the wind.” He did not think Hint tin public fully realised this, but, the f„<4 should bo stressed in view of (bo sible increase in lares next soar Mr Flesher said be wished to endorse Mr Booth’s remarks regarding (he man nor in which Mr Staples had mime I out his duties as chairman !(■• luuvtul that the chairman's report should he printed with the annual balancesheet, Mr Sykes seconded the motion, which was carried.