RAILWAY LEGISLATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 246, 17 October 1922, Page 7

RAILWAY LEGISLATION.

CONCESSIONS IMPROPERLY USED.

HEAVY PENALTY" PROPOSED.

0i» Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day.

A Government Railways Amendment Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives last night. Most of the clauses are to give effect to an agreement made with the members of the Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners Associalion in connection with the retrenchment proposals, but one clause is of general interest. This provides that every person who makes any false statement in regard to any goods (whether in respect to their nature, quantity, weight, measurement, value, or otherwise howsoever), delivered on a railway, in any consignment, note, waybill, or other document, is to become liable to a fine not exceeding £50.

The Minister of Railways explained, in answer to a question, that the Department was being "got at' , by some farmers who were using concessions given them in free carriage of lime for the benefit of agents in their districts. This clauso will provide a penalty.

Another clause will make ineffective the protests of people who claim that in the railway charges they have not secured tho benefit* of deviations which shorten mileage. The clause provides that, where any scale of charges is fixed by reference to distance, the distance between any two points shall, unlesq it is specially provided otherwise in the notice fixinu the scale, be deemed to be the distance as shown on the departmental record when the section of riilway nffeeterl wns opened for traffic. notwithstanding that such distances may have been increased or decrrnepd by subsequent alterations of tho railways.