Tram Conversion Policy Criticized
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T" policy of substituting motorbuses for trams in Leeds, which is being pursued by the Socialistcontrolled transport committee, was the
subject of a clash at the city council's meeting last week on a Conservative resolution asking that the finance and parliamentary committee be instructed to investigate the effect on the city's finances of the present operation and policy of the transport committee. The resolution was defeated.
Proposing the resolution, CIIr. B. Mather said the policy must inevitably cause a great rise in rates. It needed to be shown that the change-over could be sufficiently advantageous to offset this increase.
The transport undertaking was running at a loss of about £70,000 a year, and was involved in a change-over policy which would cost at the least flim., yet no details of the financial effects had been given to either the council or the transport committee.
Replying, Ald. J. Rafferty, chairman of the transport committee, said that only five tramway operating authori
ties were left in the country. Of these, four had already, decided to abandon,
their tracks and the remaining one,. Blackpool, was seeking to sell the whole of its undertaking.
Referring to stress which had been placed on the city's loss of rate revenue
through abandonment of tram tracks.
Ald. Rafferty asked whether it was intended to suggest that passenger transport users should have to my high fares in order Co reduce the rates for non-users. The corporation's trams had lost money each year since 1941, except in 1948, whereas since 1939 the motorbuses had shown a profit every year except two, and those two years followed heavy wage increases.
Since the local Labour Party's decision in favour of the abolition of
trams, economies at the Kirkstall tram
works had resulted in an approximate yearly saving of nearly £.17,090, and economies effected on the department's permanent-way amounted to f11.000 a year.