ORGANIZED TOURING IN NEW ZEALAND.
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A Comprehensive Network of Regular Services which is Maintained by an Enterprising Company "Down Under."
ENGLAND is not the only country where touring by special services of motor vehicles is being deVeloped, and a striking example of this fact will be afforded to our readers if they refer to our map of North Island, New Zealand, on which we show lines indicating the regular motor service routes run by the Aard Motor Services Association of N.Z. On this map we have also indicated the chief towns through which the mites pass.
The vehicles employed are prartieally all of American make, most of them being fludsons. It is interesting to note that in a letter written to us by Mr. F. L. FitzGerald, the vice-president of the ' association, he says We are
sorry to saa that there are no English cars on the market here that can compete with the American cars for price and stand up to the service required. 'When we say we are sorry we mean it, .because we all have a leaning to the Old Country, but sentiment Will not enable . us to pay iavIce as much for an article at home as it can be ,purchased for in the American market.'
It will he seen that the routes cover -the. whole of the island, even i's) the mountainous districts, and the original map which was sent to us shows that they run through hundreds of places which sightseers must be extremely
anxious to visit owing to the beauty of the natural scenery which can there be viewed. On it are alaf. marked the places where fishing and hunting can be em joy ed, the game in.-eluding deer and wild duck; . t h a. fishing • appears to b e mainly f o r trout, and this seems to be available all over the island.
The fleet consists of some 600 cars, and arrangements are made by which a car can meet intending passengers at any point on the service, whilst hotel accommodation is arranged for on the route.
All the wonderful sights of the island can easily be reached at a reasonable figure. The average charge over the service is 30. per mile per passenger. This may seem somewhat high to us who are accustomed to fares of from ld. to 10. per mile for travel by coaches a n el buses, but we must remember .these are actually touring cars holding comparatively few people, and, therefore, the cost per individual must necessarily be considerably higher; as a compensation for Ws, passengers naturally travel in greater comfort.
One part of the island is blessed with a magnificent beach known as the Muri Wait This ie used for motorcar racing, and has a length of some 28 miles. The island is, foughly, 370 miles long and 260 miles wide, so that the area covered is very considerable.
The roads, in general, are good, • and it is only during the winter months, June, July and August, that a few of them becoMe unfit for motor traffic ; the rest of them are in good condition all the year round.
It ifs of great interest to note that, motor services are developing so rapidly and easily in this far-away colony. The only regrettable feature is that it has not been found advisable to use Britishmade cars.
Unlicensed Bus Services: An Interesting Case.
A N INTRICATE point was raised at Middlesbrough during the hearing
of an action by the Middlesbrough Cor poration against the United Automobile ServiCes, Ltd., for allowing, it was alleged, a motor omnibus to be used as a hackney carriage within the precincts of the town without, having been properly licensed by the local authority. The circumstances, which were described in a recent issue of The Commercial Motor, were that the defendants inaugurated a new bus service from. Redcar to Stockton, by way of Newport Road, Middlesbrough, and the. company applied to the Middlesbrough. authority for licences for, four vehicles.
At the last meeting of the hackney car riage committee the town clerk reported that the applicants had been informed that the application would be dealt with at the next meeting, and were. instructed not to operate. vehicles in the meantime, but had done so, cOntrary to the instruction. At the bearing of the case, Mr. Broch Allen, on behalf of the corporation, caked evidence showing that a number of people boarded United buses in Middlesbrough. He stated that licences had been applied for, but had not been granted for reasons not divulged. . A ruling of Mr. Justice Avery -was cited by Mr. A. Lauriston, who defended. This was to the effect that where a hackney carriage proprietor had issued a return ticket from a point outside an area in which he was not licensed, there was nothing to prevent him from conveying return ticket-holders from the unlicensed area. This was exactly, he said, what the United buses had done.
The Bench reserved judgment.
Parking for Coaches in the North.
The necessity for a central motor park at. Whitley Bay, the popular Northumbrian coastal resort, is at present engaging attention. The Northern General Transport Co. are perhaps operating
more extensively to the town than arii other local company, and the manager, Mr. R. W. Cramp, during a recent outing which entailed the use, of Vehicles covering over a mile, of roadway, referred to the urgency of the question, and said his company were operating during the summer as many as 20 trips per week, Some requiring seven or eight coaches. He pointed to Tifton Park, Blackpool, as an ideal station, and considered that the popularity of Whitley Bay would be in
creased by the provision of some similar accommodation.
We understand that, steps are being. taken to provide a station at Boker, the Wearsi-de ...seaside place Cardiff Bus Results.
In his reportfor the year • ended March 31st, Mr. R. L. Horsfield, Cardiff Corporation tram and bus manager, states, with regard to bus services, that the income from traffic receipts amounted to £23,445, and the bus-miles numbered 244,804, equal to 22.98d, per bus-mile. The passengers carried were 1,924,529, equal to 7.86 per bus-mile. The summarized costs of operation are as follow
The gross profits amount to £5,984, whilst loan charges, sinking fund instalments and other interest amounted to £3,265, and, after deducting the year's charge for petrol installatoin at Llandaff depot—i.e., £106 15s. 4d.—the excess of revenue over expenditure shows a credit of 22,613 on the year's working.
For the previous 15 months this account showed a deficiency of £3,774, so that after deducting the profit. shown above for the year under review, this deficiency is reduced to £1,161, which figure, it is expected, will be recovered during the current year.
The corporation's bus accounts for the year show more pleasant reading -than those for the previous year, and will encourage other users.