AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON TRAMS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12579, 28 September 1908, Page 4

AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON TRAMS.

An interesting controversy has been proceeding in Wellington and Auckland as to the respective merits of the tram systems of the two cities from a paying point of view. The fact that the Auckland Tramway Company's profit for last year amounted to £32,551, whereas the surplus for the year at Wellington was only £5568 was used as an argument in favour of private management as against municipal management. The Mayor of Auckland contended that the fares on the Auckland trama were as low if not lower than in any other part of the Dominion; and though the corporation's share of the profits was only =£4500, he argued that from a direct pecuniary point of view the citizens of the northern capital benefited to a much greater extent under private ownership than they would have done under municipal management, as the company was under an obligation to keep the tram track portion of the road in order at its own expense. On the other hand, Wellington, people argued that passengers in the Empire City get more for their money than their northern brethren, the sections being longer than in Auckland, that the motormen and conductors in Wellington are better paid, that the reportable accidents are far fewer, that the direct profit to the city is greater than in Auckland, and that the plant in the latter city is not kept in anything like the state of repair of the Wellington plant, and that Wellington allows more for depreciation. The Mayor of Auckland now states that oince he has had an opportunity of going into the fignres there appears to be very little difference between the results in the two cities. Both undertakings, said Mayor Myers, .ad met with an equal measure of success financially, and neither of them had any marked superiority over the other. Although the systems* were, different, he thought the citizens of both places had equal reason to be satisfied with the results achieved. When he was first interviewed on the subject, he spoke o-t the assumption that the figures published gave a reasonable basis of comparison between the two systems, and he could omy say now that he was very gjad to find that the undertaking of the city of Wellington had been so much more profitable than at first appeared, and ac embraced this opportunity of congratulating Wellington ou the success of the Bystem. The Wellington criticism of his statement that private management was more successful from a financial point of view than management by public bodies, was pointed out to Mr Myers, who replied: "In stating as a general principle that private management is, on the whole, more successful from a financial point of view than management by public bodies, I did not mean to proclaim myself an opponent of municipal control of such things as transit, water supply, drainage, lighting, etc., of which, on the contrary, I have always been an advocate, but it must be recognised that municipal control has its dangers which, as i stated, are very much intensified by the inexcusable apathy shown by so many citizens in regard to public affairs."