OLDHAM CORPORATION'S TROLLEY-BUS PROPOSALS.
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THE Oldham Corporation is considering a big scheme involving the employment of buses for linking up a rather scattered district. The tramways manager (Mr. W. Chamberlain) is to prepare a report for the information of the committee regarding the proposals to be included in the next Parliamentary Bill, which seeks powers for the running of motor omnibuses in the out-districts.
The tramways manager, for the tramways committee, has submitted a statement in which he says :—The use of omnibuses as tramway feeders could be dealt with in at least two ways, viz. :1) To carry passengers from outlying districts ta the tramway termini; and (2) to connect tramway termini by cross country running. Regarding the first.
method, Oldham is already fed in the north, south and west by tramways operated by Rochdale, A,shton-underLyne and Manchester Corporations respectively, and also in the Chadderton area by the Middleton Electric Traction Co. On the easterly and north-easterly sides the tramways are not connected with the outlying districts except by means of privately owned omnibuses operated from the Lees, "Waterhead and Shaw termini. The corporation did not possess powers for the operation of omnibuses outside the borough.
There are a number of isolated districts, such as Hathershaw to GIodwick, Glodwick to Lees, Lees to Water
head, Waterhead to Moorside and Grains Bar, and Higginshaw to Rochdale Road, arid should the committee decide to put omnibuses into operation to eater for any particular district or districts, the questiontsof road adaptation would have to be considered, also the provision of the necessary vehicles and garage accommodation. On receiving instructions as to the number of districts in which the committee desired to operate omnibuses, the tramways manager intends to prepare the necessary estimates as to capital costs and running costs. The question of the probable revenue, he thought, would be difficult to estimate, and yield only be obtained by an actual experiment.