LYTTELTON BAILWAY BATES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12602, 19 September 1906, Page 7

LYTTELTON BAILWAY BATES.

THE MINISTER'S STATEMENT. LOCAL VIEWS.

The renly of the Minister for RaiiJmtTtK deputation of Canterbury Saturday, urging that the W««£. C_ri_tolvu-ch railway rates should he placed upon a more eo>table basis, hm : ■ not yet been examined critically by SoJwho have Ufa» a more pwnunent part ia the agitation of which the deputation was tho outcome. _ Mr A L. Parsons, the immediate pa _t president of tbe Chamber of Cotn- • merco, who during his year of officeworked very hard to* Jjjjgj.y vornment to do what was of them, informed a• W« ijp£« yesterday that he could not *•*£.._.- proper rejoinder to the Manner* re- , ply until ho was in po.BO_.ion of cerUn information, which he would endeavour to procure. Mr Parsons, however, pointed out an apparent xnoona_«_«ro» t the part of tbe MmfterMr _t_ll-Jo_os, Lyftelton lino waa tteawd •*«*«*£ the same manner aa tbe other pore were'necessary in ardor to aneet «*Jpoution by water or .road, "** £ _uwo uifforontial charge*, M* P««??_* pointed cut, tliat <U*Q promoters of tJ» • Movement objected, tor they .^ d <**"« with them did _ot see why the Lyttelton line should bo penalised for tte re-on tliat the other competition to fear-, istor, instead ot replying to that particular objection, bad pracUcally admitted it. Air Parsons also roterre- £> tho fact that Mx.H_lWo_« waa reported to laave stated that it was tih<Tcl_irge for cartage that n*»J** rate look heavy as compared with that of centres whore tho import©™ did their own cartage; whereas, a* a mattor of fact, the charge for cartage .bad always been omitted when oomparißoaa wero made. Referring again to the cartage question,. Mr Parsons said that the Minuter, in his reply, stated ho projiosed, at tine expiry of tho present contract, to allow importers here to make vneir own aruangementa for oaarting, aa ho understood that that was tlie general wish. Aw ™-, eons mentioned that only . quite recently he had taken the opiimonfl of some of tho leading jnerohanta here on the cartage question, and Uioy were almost unanimous in declaring that they preferred to have the present system continued. Ho had forwarded that opinion on to ono of the orty members, who was a member of the deputation-, and who informed tho Atanster enronoously that the Chamber of Commerce liau c-ined an unanimous resolution in favour of th© iraportaw doing their own carting. Mr Parsons added that he waa <*» taining as much information as no could _ get bearing on fclie whole question, and the local Chamber would deal with. - it again. Tho matter would certainly not be allowed to drop. Mr W. W. Charters, president of the Canterbury Industrial __so*iau__i stated that he proposed also to an " thoroughly into the question of-tha ' soundness or otherwise of th© Minister* - reply to the deputation, and when he had done so _ meeting of tbe Aawcia- ' tion would be Called.. Mr A. Kaye said he had not gona - into the matter Jiimserf, but had writ* . ten to MrQ. Laurenson, M.H.8., who • headed the deputation, asking him to.; ascertain whetnor the Minister's ' «_• ..i----oluskwio were correct. On the artsy;'' question, Mr Kaye said he waa afra-ls the system of allowing the importer* to . do their own carting would be laat "'• expeditious than tihe present system, '- Now the goods were carted away in tha' order of their arrival t and there' waa no time lost in searching for padrag- ~ bearing particular marks, but & all ne ,' merchants sent round their own carta " for their stuff, the present faeSitiea. . would'havo to be improved, otherwise" there would be creat confusion,' raoonvenience, and delay. He thought that) tho only moroh ante who desired tha ,■ change wcro those who already poa-. - sessed carting plants, of their ©wa_ • • •*