CO129-555-1 Hong Kong Tramways Ltd.- petition 10-7-1935 - 4-10-1935 — Page 21

10 -

21

the Licensee shall not exceed the fares specified

in Schedule B hereto, or such substituted, altered,

amended, increased, modified or additional fares as

may from time to time and for the time being be

fixed and prescribed by the Governor in Council:

Provided that, without the consent of the Licensee,

no change shall be made in the maximum fares itemised

in the said Schedule B during the first three years

of the said period of fifteen years; thereafter the

fares to be demanded and taken shall be the current

fares fixed and prescribed by the Governor in

Council, regard being had as well to the Licensee

as to the general public.

Alterations and extensions to routes are contemplated by

paragraph 8 of the tender (Appendix G) and condition 6 of

the licence (Appendix H).

In view of this it is difficult to understand

what is meant by "defined commitments" and "specified

fares" in paragraph 38 of the petition.

I am advised that there is nothing in the

terms of the licence to support the petitioner in his

complaint against the introduction of second class fares

where they did not exist before and the extension of

certain routes.

10.

The only grounds on which the petitioner's

complaint might be supported are that the Hong Kong

Tramways is being subjected to "unfair and wasteful competition"

(paragraph 48). But although the minimum fare charged by the Tramways viz: five cents (at present equal to a penny

and a third) represents the maximum third class fare

permitted by the Tramway Ordinance, there has been no

attempt by the Bus Company to under-cut the Tramways

Company. It is the Tramways Company that in its petition

raises