Workers' Fares Not Justified, Mr. Thom Tells Portsmouth
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WORKMEN'S fare concessions are VV entirely unjustified, and have seen for many years with the social and wonomic changes which have taken 'lace," said Mr. H. J. Thom, South Eastern Licensing Authority, when he teard an application by Portsmouth 3orporation to withdraw workmen's ares and to increase adult season tickets )3' 10 per cent.
He also heard an application by iouthdown Motor Services, Ltd., which ought an increase of 2d. on all ordinary nd workmen's return tickets, and a 0-per-cent. advance in the price of eason tickets.
There was also a joint application by he corporation and Southdown for a d. increase in ordinary and workmen's eturns and for a 10-per-cent. increase a season-ticket rates, on their joint ervices.
The proposed higher fares are estitated to yield £38,000 a year.
For the corporation, it was pointed ut that season tickets would still be vailable for workmen at " considerble concessions." Economies during se past five years included a reduction f 2fm. miles run each year, which had een largely achieved by co-ordinating ith Southdown.
Criticizing the corporation's plans for totorbus and trolleybus replacements, hich would cost £41,000, £48,000 and 54,000 respectively in loan charges in tch of the next three years, Mr. Thom tggested that it would have been fairer P have spread the programme over a -eater number of years.
A municipal representative, Mr. A. arrows, said that it was a question of tempting to keep vehicles on the road, • that the public were not called upon to bear the replacement cost until the last possible moment.
"Do you call that a good policy?" asked Mr. Thom. "Would it not be better to have evened it out over the years? It is going to come heavily on those travelling in the next few years."
Mr. Burrows replied that it was a financial expedient which was inclined to mortgage the future at the cost of the present.
On the subject of workmen's fares, Mr. Burrows said: "We have no qualms about taking away this concession."