CORRESPONDENCE

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 201, 27 August 1886, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE

Railway Management,

(To the Editor.)

Sir, -I havo no wish for troubling you, only findimr I cinnot rest quietly without exposing the gresa mismanagement of tho Kailway Department, any longer, and now givo you a letter of their recent blundering. On or about tho 24th of June last, coven logs wero consigned to tho Mount Lden Sawmill from Helensville, contrary to instruction", as tho timber was not required, and consequently remained unloaded for three days, until tho owner was communicated with, when tho carriago amounted to over fourteen pounds. It waa offered to the station master, but he refused to accept it unless demurrage was also paid at the rate of e>motlnng liko £o per day, stating that ho was obliged to obey Ids instructions, an." could do nothing else in tho matter. The traffic manager was interviewed, and requested to forego tho demurrago claim under the circumstances considering tho very low price for timber, and that tho railways got tho lion's share in carriage. When tho great hardship caused by the loss that would fall upon tho unfortunate owner was explained to him, his reply was that if he wero asked for a sub.-cripion he could understand that, but be could not sco why the railway should not havo their carriage and demurrage charges paid, and that he would seize the logs if tho monov wero not paid, which he was allowed to do. After letting them remain at Moun". Fden for a few days more, until tho demurrago claim ran up to about the value of the timber, thoy were taken on to tho Newmarket workshops and advertised in two or three of the papers for over a week, to bo soil by auction, and Mere sold accordingly for the sum ot £9 O-i about sufficient, I hear, to cover tho advertising charges. Is no erne to blame for this ? Instead of encouraging the settlers to send all they can along the line, the Department endeavour to punish thom-a policy that is disastrous to tho prosperity of the railway and settlement of the countiy. I have frequently had timber loaded waiting over a we. k for the pleasure of the Department to tako it on ; but no matter what inconvenience, apparently no

redress. Another grievunco is the removal frum oft their schedule of that most absurd Railway Department rule for measuring round logs in their own way, which only a few people can understand. However, they mako out a littlo more than one-fourth more feet to be in a log than any other system ever known, or ever recognised by the trade, and it bus the effect of placing tho officials in the position to say what they consider should como under that rule according to whatovor way it is squared, or in other words, "If you don't choose to bo a decent fellow I ph ill make you pay 2s 7d in-tead of 2s per 100 feet." I have been striving to havo this matter altered since this line opened, and c-n----doavouring to show Mr Maxwell that it would ho even more to the benefit of the railway revenue than to the trade. The Mount Eden Sawmill Company have resisted paying this imposition until they were sued in Court by the Department, and obliged to pay the monstrous demand, while other people were getting round logs carried over the same line Under the ordinary system of measuring.— Yours, &c, John Smyth.