Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

through Blackburn service. It was resolved the Borough Surveyor should carry out this work, and that its cost should be defrayed from the unused balance of borrowing powers. The Borough Treasurer then submitted a quotation from the Municipal Mutual Insurance Company Ltd, to cover the Corporation’s liability (including passengers), to the sum of £5,000 for any one accident. This premium was at a reduced rate to the one paid previously. It was resolved to accept this quotation and take out this policy. It was further resolved the Tramway Manager should attend a conference of the Municipal Tramways Authorities to be held in London on Thursday, March 17 th , to hear a report on the subject of the recent dispute over tramway employees’ wages and conditions as compiled by a Court of Enquiry. The Tramway Manager then reported that the initiation of a minimum fare of 1 penny would have the effect of converting a certain percentage of 1½ and 3 pence passengers paying a lower fare. That some now paying 1½ pence would pay 1 penny, whilst some passengers currently paying 3 pence would pay 2½ pence or even 2 pence. He stated that “In order to assist you in your deliberations on this matter and to arrive at a conclusion as to whether a one penny minimum fare would result in a heavy loss or a small gain in revenue, it has been necessary to take observations of the numbers of passengers boarding and alighting from the cars at several points along the route. This gives the following results and percentages of converting higher fares to lower fares (if 1 penny fare stages are adopted) - 19% of the 1½d fares to 1d fares. The weekly average number of passengers carried = 67,323 @ 1d and 34,987 @ 3d. On this basis the weekly result would be 67,323 passengers @ 1½d = £420 – 15s - 4½d. 19% of this = £53 – 5s – 11d, whereas 81% of this @ 1½d = £340 – 16s – 6d. TOTAL = £394 – 2s – 5d. So £420 – 15s - 4½d minus £394 – 2s – 5d = a loss of £26 – 12s - 11½d per week, equal to approximately £1,386 per year. 34,987 passengers @ 3d each = £437 – 6s – 9d. Then £437 – 6s – 9d minus £423 – 9s - 9½d = a loss of £13 – 16s – 11½d per week, equal to approximately £720 per year. This comes to a total reduction in revenue of approximately £2,116 per year, which would require an additional 9,766 passengers per week paying the 1 penny fare or 507,840 extra passengers per annum. “The 1 penny fare would also lead to an increase in the operating expenses in that during the average 3½ rush hours per day, extra conductors would have to be employed and extra cars would be required to run owing to the 1d passengers crowding out the longer distance travellers. The additional amount estimated in wages is £923 per year, whilst other incidental costs would add an additional £250. These would have to be added to the £2,116 deficit amounting to a total loss for a twelve month period of £3,289, which is the equivalent of 789,360 one-penny fares. It ought to be borne in mind that these costs do not include any figures for extra electricity consumed or additional wear and tear to the rolling stock or track. It is therefore my express opinion that the introduction of a 1 penny minimum fare would cause the Tramway to incur very heavy losses”. Harry Pilling, (General Manager), March 14 th , 1921. To conclude he then included a list of all the undertakings along with Accrington where the minimum fare on the tramways was 1½ pence; Aberdare, Bexley Heath, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bury, Cardiff, Chester, Chesterfield, Derby, Doncaster, Exeter, Haslingden, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Kingston-upon-Hull, Lancaster, Leicester, Maidstone, Northampton, Nottingham, Oldham, Plymouth, Pontypridd, Portsmouth, Rawtenstall, Reading Rochdale, Southampton, South Shields, St Helens, Wallasey, West Hartlepool, Wigan, Wolverhampton and Perth. Along with all those places with a 2 pence minimum fare including; - Barrow, Blackpool ( summer months only ), Bradford, Brighton, Burton-upon-Trent, Coventry, Great Yarmouth, Halifax, Lincoln, Liverpool, Newport, Southport, Walsall, York and Kirkcaldy. 5% of the 3d fares to 2d fares. 9% of the 3d fares to 2½d fares . 5% of this = 1,749 @ 2d = £14 – 11s – 6d. 9% of this = 3,149 @ 2½d = £32 – 16s - 0½d. 86% of this = 30,089 @ 3d = £376 – 2s – 3d. TOTAL = £423 – 9s - 9½d.

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